Pancreatic cancer – the silent killer
06 Jul 2010 4 Comments
in Information Tags: breast cancer, cancer, charity, daughter, donate, donations, effort, fund, fundraiser, healing, health, help, hope, jaundice, journey, life, liver, metastisis, mother, pancreas, pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cancer canada, positivity, stories, survival, survivors, symptoms, tumor
Pancreatic cancer is an abnormal growth of malignant cells that originates from one of the many parts in the pancreas. It is refered to as a “silent” killer because there are often no symptoms until the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body. The pancreas is composed of a variety of cell types. Therefore, there are many different types of pancreatic cancers, the most common being pancreatic adenocarcinoma comprising 95% of pancreatic cancers. It is an exocrine tumor that usually lines the pancreatic duct. It is the most difficult to treat. The tumor can also form in the islet cells of the pancreas. This is known as an endocrine tumor, rare in pancreatic cancer patients, but has a higher survival rate.
It is important to note. Cancer can spread to any part of the body, but is always refered to as one type of cancer depending on where this cancer originated. When the malignant tumors from the pancreas spread to other parts of the body, commonly the liver, they are still refered to as pancreatic cancer tumors even though they are now localized in the liver. The tumors still contain pancreatic cancer cells and are therefore hard to treat no matter where they metastasize to.
Cross section of liver with advanced pancreatic cancer metastisis
There are two main reasons why this cancer is hard to treat.
- The tumor grows silently with very few symptoms. It is only noticed when it has advanced into stage 4, spreading outside of the pancreas to nearby organs
- This type of cancer doesn’t respond very well to many treatments.
4 Stages for Pancreatic Cancer
| Stage | Description |
| 1 | Cancer is found only in the pancreas. The tumour can be any size, but it has not spread to lymph nodes or any other part of the body. |
| 2 | Cancer has spread to nearby tissues or organs, or to nearby lymph nodes. |
| 3 | Cancer has spread to major blood vessels near the pancreas. It may have spread to nearby lymph nodes. |
| 4 | Cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs or abdominal cavity. |
Risks
- smoking
- obesity
- diabetes
- genetic predisposition
Signs and symptoms
Pancreatic cancer does not have many warning signs in its early stages. The following symptoms usually develop as the cancer advances. My mother didn’t start showing signs of most symptoms untill her last month in hospital, 2 months without chemo treatments.
- Pain in the upper abdomen or upper back.
* This is usually caused by nerve pain associated with the growth of the tumors. Many patients, my mom included, will report feeling a dull pain near the right shoulder. This is due to connecting nerves from tumors in the liver to the upper region of the body. - Weight loss.
* The pancreas is part of the digestive system and therefore many patients have problems digesting food, and lose their appetite. It is always difficult to watch a loved one struggle to eat. At this point, it is important for the patient to eat whatever they crave in order to receive some energy and nutrition to build strength. - Jaundice.
Man in hospital with jaundice. My mother advanced to this stage after a day or two with jaundice.
* One morning in the hospital I asked my mom to hold her head up so I could see her face, and she looked back at me with yellow eyes. At that moment my stomach dropped and I knew we running out of time. ultimately jaundice is a sign that the disease has advanced and caused liver failure.
- Change in bowel habits.
* Fatty stools or diarrhea associated with the digestive tract. - Changes in digestion.
* Indigestion, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, feeling full after a small meal, bloating, and gas are all common symptoms stemming from the digestive tract. - Fatigue.
* Very common in almost all cancers. The tumors feed off of blood in the body and hemoglobin levels drop. - Itching
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Increased blood sugar (diabetes).
* The pancreas makes insulin which is linked to diabetes - Enlarged spleen
- Swelling of the legs.
* When the cancer advances the body has a hard time with fluid retention and as a result swelling occurs in different parts of the body, usually the legs or ankles. - Ascites (abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen)
- Malaise (a general feeling of discomfort or illness)
- Weakness
- Depression
- Anxiety
Pancreatic cancer is lethal. The pancreas is located deep within the abdomen making it difficult for a doctor to feel a tumor during a physical examination. This cancer has no early warning signs and no effective screening and early detection tests. As a result, the cancer is rarely discovered before it has already metastasized to other organs. 80% of patients are diagnosed after the age of 60, but pancreatic cancer has been found in younger patients, especially those with a family history, and even healthy, active, nonsmokers. It is estimated that 4000 new cases will be diagnosed this year.
Information for this post was taken from The Canadian Cancer Society and Pancreatic Cancer Canada
If you have any questions about pancreatic cancer or would like to add some information to this post, please email hopefortaly@gmail.com or leave a comment.
Pancreatic Cancer Canada
01 Jul 2010 2 Comments
in Information, Updates Tags: blog, blogging, breast cancer, canada day, cancer, care, charity, daughter, dick aldridge, donate, donations, effort, fund, fundraiser, healing, health, help, hope, inspiration, journey, life, love, mother, optimism, pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cancer canada, paypal, positivity, stories, survival, survivors
A good way to kick off Canada day…
I’ve decided to donate solely to Pancreatic Cancer Canada which is funded by the Dick Aldridge Pancreatic Cancer Foundation. This is Canada’s only foundation for fighting pancreatic cancer. This foundation is also very close to my heart because my mother was keeping in touch with Betty Aldridge, who co-founded the foundation after her husband, Dick Aldridge, passed away from the disease. She has yet to learn about my mother. I’m dreading the e-mail I have to write.
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, mentioned before in the Hope for Taly Fund post, funds research done in, and mainly for the United States, whereas I want something that directly affects Canadians.
Pancreatic Cancer Canada was founded a mere 4 years ago, and needs all the support and donations possible to grow as big as its American counterpart.
Taly's Illustration of a tree in Serena Park
Pancreatic Cancer Canada’s Goals:
- To champion early detection research
- To educate and create awareness about pancreatic cancer
- To raise funds through various fundraisers and charitable donations to support leading edge research
- To partner with Princess Margaret hospital and share the latest information and updates
- To provide support and information resources to patients and their families
- To increase federal and private funding in order to advance research programs
- To share knowledge and increase effectiveness in Canada through their website and various mediums such as print and radio
- To increase their network of volunteers and donors nationally, and set up chapters throughout Canada.
Founded in 2006, this is a not-for-profit organization that has already provided over $300,000 to support early detection studies at Princess Margaret Hospital. There is a consortium of major hospitals involved in this research that is focused on developing new early detection and screening methods and discovering a molecular and/or genetic marker to aid in the earlier diagnosis and screening of pancreatic cancer (such as now exists, for example, with prostate cancer).
It is because of Pancreatic Cancer Canada that MP Helena Guergis delivered a statement in the House of Commons advocating Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. As a result, November is now recognized as National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
Click here to learn more about:
How your money will be spent
The Pancreatic Cancer Canada Committee
Dick Aldridge Pancreatic Cancer Foundation
Dick Aldrige
Endorsement letters received
Scientific Advisory Board
.
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For more information on my decision, or getting involved, please email hopefortaly@gmail.com or leave a comment
Hope for Taly Fund
29 Jun 2010 1 Comment
in Information Tags: blog, blogging, breast cancer, cancer, care, charity, daughter, donate, donations, effort, fund, fundraiser, healing, health, help, hope, inspiration, journey, life, love, mother, optimism, pancreatic cancer, paypal, positivity, stories, survival, survivors
Mom and I in place of a Logo I still have to make
A daughter’s journey to find a cure…
The Hope for Taly fund is named after my mother, Taly Weiss, who lost her battle to pancreatic cancer June 10th 2010. Hope for Taly collects charitable donations that will fund pancreatic cancer research programs, and early detection screening. The money will be directly donated to a dedicated team of research doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital. Their hope is that information from this study will lead to the development of novel cost-effective screening tests for pancreatic cancer. To learn more about Pancreatic Cancer Canada click here
I am also currently in contact with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan). I’m leaning towards the direction of proceeds directly benefiting patients in Canada, and am not sure if pancan is only associated with the U.S. I will be updating the site with more information on exactly where the money will be donated when I have conducted more thorough research. To learn more about Pancreatic Cancer Action Network click here
Pancreatic Cancer Canada
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Pancreatic cancer research is where breast cancer research was in the 1930′s. This is because it is wildly underfunded. An estimated 66 million US dollars was spent on pancreatic cancer research in 2005 of the National Cancer Institutes’ (NCI) cancer research budget. This is just a mere 2% of the NCI’s 4.825 billion US dollar cancer research budget for 2009.
Why?
There is a 99% mortality rate, the highest of any cancer, because by the time the cancer is diagnosed, it is usually too late for a promising outcome as the cancer has metastasized and spread to surrounding organs. Options for treatment are minimal at this stage. 75% of patients die within one year of their diagnosis. Therefore, part of the reason pancreatic cancer research remains underfunded is because there are not a lot of survivors who are strong enough to benefit from clinical trials due to the aggressive progression of the disease. Even worse, most patients simply cannot afford the private clinic treatments that breast cancer patients are eligible to receive due to succcesful funding efforts. I can’t begin to explain my family’s frustration of having to pay thousands of dollars, per month, for my mother’s necessary chemo treatments breast cancer patients receive for free. Cancer is cancer right? This is why funding for early screening is so necessary. If caught early, the cancer is treatable, survival rates for 5 years increase from 5% – 20% as the cancer is localized and can be removed. Patients are in better health to receive treatments, and the research from their treatments can be used to find a cure.
Here’s how you can help.
If you need more information about the Hope for Taly Fund, or are having trouble donating please email hopefortaly@gmail.com or leave a comment
The Pancreas
27 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Information Tags: cancer, charity, compound gland, digestive system, donations, duodenum, enzymes, gland, health, help, hormones, journey, organ, pancreas, pancreatic cancer, small intestine, spleen, survival
Pancreas location and surrounding tissues
The pancreas is a large gland organ about, about 6 inches, that stretches across the back of the abdomen. The larger right side of the pancreas is extended to the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum. The distal, or tail end, extends to the spleen. The pancreas contains a duct that joins the common bile duct connecting the pancreas to the liver and gallbladder.
Pancreas secretions
The pancreas is part of the digestive system. Digestive juices made by the pancreas flow down the pancreatic duct to the common bile duct, which carries bile from the liver. The common bile duct then empties into the duodenum. The pancreatic juices and bile help further digest food in the duodenum after food has left the stomach.
The pancreas is also part of the hormonal system and makes insulin and other hormones. Hormones made in the pancreas enter the bloodstream and help your body use or store the energy (sugar and fat) from the food you eat.
Compound Gland
The pancreas is thus a compound gland. It is “compound” in the sense that it is composed of both exocrine and endocrine tissues. The exocrine function of the pancreas involves the synthesis and secretion of pancreatic juices. The endocrine function resides in the million or so cellular islands (the islets of Langerhans) embedded between the exocrine units of the pancreas. Beta cells of the islands secrete insulin, which helps control carbohydrate metabolism. Alpha cells of the islets secrete glucagon that counters the action of insulin.
Pancreas and surrounding organs
References: Canadian Cancer Society, Medicine Net
If you have any questions or comments please email hopefortaly@gmail.com or leave a comment.
