Pancreatic cancer life expectancy

Pancreatic cancer

The pancreas is one of the most important glands inthe human body. It is a part of a digestive system and it is situated behind thestomach. It manufactures the digestive enzymes andpancreatic juice, as well as the hormone insulin, which regulates the level ofglucose in the blood. Pancreatic cancer, which is also called exocrinecancer, is one of the most serious health conditions. It is a malignant tumorthat appears in the pancreas tissues. The pancreatic cancer is more frequent in men thanin women, and it usually occurs in elderly people and rarely in younger population.

Unfortunately, the survival rate of the pancreaticcancer is too low. There are cases where the life expectancy of this conditionis only five to eight months, but 20% of those people who have the pancreascancer live at least one year. Unfortunately, only 5 % of the patients succeedto live over five years. The survival rates vary depending on the stage ofthe cancer and kind of treatment, as well as on the general health of thepatient.

The pancreatic cancer life expectancy is so lowbecause this gland, despite the size, is very well hidden in the body andalmost unreachable for the surgeons. Therefore, the cancer in the early stagescan be hardly diagnosed. Furthermore, the tumor spreads rapidly and affects thesurrounding lymph nodes and the blood vessels. In those, people who have the life expectancy whichis longer, the pancreatic cancer did not spread on the surrounding areas in thebody. Furthermore, it was removed together with the parts of the pancreas.

Pancreatic cancer can be caused by several reasons.Those people who smoke and consume excessively alcohol are at high risk todevelop this serious disease. Moreover, there are certain conditions that can leadto the development of this malignant tumor. These conditions are gingivitis,diabetes and chronic pancreatitis, or the chronic inflammation of the tissues ofthe pancreas. It is also considered that unhealthy diet and obesity may also bepotential causes for this disease. Furthermore, the pancreatic cancer may alsorun in family due to certain genes that are responsible for it. The survival rates of the pancreatic cancer are verylow and people must be aware of it. The pancreatic cancer research is,unfortunately, one of the most under-funded forms of cancer research worldwide, and that should be changed since many people die of it.