Advances in the Field of Pancreatic Cancer Research

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• It is a type of cancer that forms in the
  pancreas, most often in the exocrine cells, which
  produce digestive juices for the stomach.
• Symptoms include yellow skin and eyes (jaundice),
  weight loss, fatigue, depression, reduced
  appetite, and pain near or around the pancreas.
• Common risk factors for pancreatic cancer include
  smoking, genetic predisposition, chronic
  pancreatitis, diabetes, and obesity.

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• It is estimated that approximately 55,440
  Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic
  cancer in 2018. In the same period, 44,330
  Americans are expected to die from it.
• Roughly 7 of all cancer deaths are attributed to
  pancreatic cancer.
• On average, the lifetime risk of developing
  pancreatic cancer is slightly higher for men, 1
  in 63 than it is for women, 1 in 65.1

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• Pancreatic cancer progresses through five stages,
  from Stage 0 (no spread) to Stage IV (confirmed
  spread, a.k.a. metastasis).
• Current diagnostic methods include blood testing,
  physical examination, tumor marker testing,
  MRI/CT/PET scans, ultrasounds, endoscopic
  retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP),
  percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC),
  laparoscopy, and biopsy.

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• Early detection of pancreatic cancer is still
  very difficult. Roughly 45-55 of patients will
  be first diagnosed at Stage IV.2
• A pancreatic cancer diagnosis isn't necessarily
  considered fatal. However, survival rates are
  still low across all stages.
• The 5-year survival rate is 32 if the tumor is
  detected in an
• early stage and surgically removed.3

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• Surgical efforts to remove diseased pancreatic
  tissue began as early as the 19th century. New
  surgical techniques were introduced by Dr. Allen
  Whipple in the 1930s.
• The advent of blood transfusions increased
  survival rates, and surgery times shortened by
  3.3 hours between the 1970s and the 2000s.
• Because surgery is only an option for about 20
  of pancreatic cancer patients, treatments like
  chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and
  radiation therapy have been developed to treat
  advanced stages.4

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• Because metastatic cancer is too widespread for
  surgical removal, chemotherapy is the first line
  of treatment.
• Other aspects of health like digestion, appetite,
  and chronic disease management are also addressed
  to improve bodily function. Diabetes treatment is
  common due to disruption of insulin production.
• Much of Stage IV treatment is palliative, focused
  on relieving discomfort. Stents may be used to
  clear bile duct blockages and pain- relieving
  medications may be prescribed.

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• Testing - Research published in the journal
  Cancer suggests that genetic tests for pancreatic
  cancer may be possible at the time of diagnosis.
  (August 2018)
• Targeted Therapies - A team from the University
  of Houston has developed a gene-targeting drug
  capable of blocking cancer cells from spreading
  outside the pancreas. (September 2018)
• Immunotherapy - Using patients' modified immune
  cells, researchers in London were able to perform
  controlled elimination of late-stage pancreatic
  cancer cells implanted in laboratory mice. All
  mice were cancer free after treatment. (August
  2018)

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1. https//www.cancer.org/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/ab
   out/key- statistics.html
2. https//www.cancer.net/cancer-types/pancreatic-can
   cer/stages
3. https//www.cancer.net/cancer-types/pancreatic-can
   cer/statistics
4. https//www.cancer.net/cancer-types/pancreatic-can
   cer/types- treatment