Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer because people don’t realize they have pancreatic cancer until later stages. When the cancer begins to spread, it becomes difficult to treat and usually, it reaches a point where a person is unable to treat it. Understanding the early symptoms and signs of pancreatic cancer may help improve a person’s chance for survival.
Part of the problem is that pancreatic cancer doesn’t cause pain and people often overlook the signs. By the time that there are noticeable differences, the cancer is already starting to grow beyond the pancreas and the rate of survival decreases. The following is a look at how to spot some warning signs that should encourage you to be tested for pancreatic cancer before it is too late.
Yellow skin (jaundice), sudden weight loss, new diagnosis of diabetes, dark urine, itching skin, enlarged lymph nodes are warning signs of pancreatic cancer. When a person has belly and back pain, with some weight loss, it usually means the cancer is in the body or tail of the organ. Typically, cancer in the head of the pancreas has symptoms that are noticeable right away, while other areas often don’t reflect signs until later on.
If you believe that you or a loved one has the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, take a proactive approach and schedule an appointment. Only medical testing can determine if a patient has pancreatic cancer. When diagnosed, the sooner treatment begins, the more likely it is that a patient will survive this form of cancer and have the chance to return to their normal day to day lifestyle.