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What is pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer occurs when cancer cells form in the pancreas. The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach. It is made up of exocrine cells and endocrine cells. Exocrine cells produce enzymes that help the body digest food. Endocrine cells make hormones — including insulin — that control blood sugar levels.
Pancreatic cysts are usually noncancerous, or benign. However, some can be precancerous and develop into cancer later. If your physician suspects you have pancreatic cysts, she or he may test them and monitor for changes.
However, pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect because early-stage tumors do not appear on imaging studies. As a result, most cases are diagnosed in advanced stages when the cancer progresses faster.
According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer that has not spread is 44 percent. If the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is 16 percent.
Types of Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic tumors form in either the exocrine or endocrine cells of the pancreas.
Exocrine tumors are the most common and are usually cancerous, or malignant. Exocrine tumors typically start in the pancreatic ducts and are most often adenocarcinomas. Unfortunately, these tumors are usually found after the cancer has advanced.
Endocrine tumors are less common and can be malignant or benign. These tumors are sometimes called pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) or islet cell tumors. The treatment for endocrine tumors depends on the tumor's type and stage.
Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer
One of the main risk factors for pancreatic cancer is having a family history of the disease. Inherited syndromes — including Lynch syndrome, von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome — have been linked to pancreatic cancer. Our genetic counseling and testing team can test for mutations and determine whether you have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
Other factors that may increase risk of pancreatic cancer include:
- Smoking or using tobacco
- Being African American
- Being older than 55
- Having obesity
- Having a personal history of diabetes
- Having chronic pancreatitis
- Being exposed to cancer-causing chemicals, including pesticides, dyes, asbestos and petrochemicals
Pancreatic Cancer Prevention
There is no guaranteed way to prevent cancer. However, you can reduce your risk for pancreatic cancer by:
- Not using tobacco — speak with your physician if you need help quitting
- Exercising regularly
- Eating a healthy diet, which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy — talk with your physician or a nutritionist about what you should eat
- Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink
- Keeping a healthy weight — ask your physician what a healthy weight is for you
Screening for Pancreatic Cancer
Typical wellness visits with your doctor do not include screening for pancreatic cancer. However, if you have a genetic disease that increases your risk, your doctor may recommend certain tests.
As a team, we offer the patients multiple opinions. Together we make a unified decision. And the patient gets the opportunity to have a second, third, fourth or fifth opinion right there from a single Center.
Treatments Proven to Target Cancer and Offer Hope
MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy Adapts to Your Body
Thanks to the advanced technology available at Miami Cancer Institute, you can gain an edge in your fight against cancer. World-renowned radiation oncology experts provide life-changing treatments right here in South Florida. MRI-guided radiation therapy precisely targets your cancer and saves your healthy tissue.
Miami Cancer Institute is the first in the world to deliver this type of adaptive radiation therapy with the MRIdian A3i system. This technique adjusts radiation each day to your needs. As your body and tumor change, we target radiation to the tumor and save healthy tissue.
NanoKnife® Gives Patients Another Option
Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma have cancer that spreads quickly and quietly. For about 40 percent of patients, this type of pancreatic cancer cannot be removed because it surrounds blood vessels.
For patients who are not eligible for standard surgery, Baptist Health is proud to offer another option. Irreversible electroporation (IRE), or Nanoknife, treats locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Before we offer this treatment to patients, each individual case is discussed at our multidisciplinary tumor board.
Pioneered by Dr. Govindarajan Narayanan, chief of interventional oncology at Miami Cancer Institute, IRE is a minimally invasive technique. The patient is put under general anesthesia. The physician then places probes, or electrodes, near a tumor using imaging guidance. Surgeons use high-voltage, low-energy electrical currents to destroy cancer cells.
Clinical trials have shown that IRE is safe and improves patient survival when used with chemotherapy or chemotherapy and radiation. Miami Cancer Institute is one of the sites for the DIRECT trial and registry that is currently enrolling patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
Clinical Trials
Our cancer specialists at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute expertly combine the best of clinical research with the best of patient care to deliver your best outcomes.
I started to feel better right away. I didn't have any side effects, I was able to eat again and my energy returned. It was wonderful.