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Know where to go for non-emergency medical assistance.
November 3, 2022
Pancreatic cancer is one of the more challenging cancers to diagnose and treat. Even though medicine has come a long way regarding the treatment of pancreatic cancer, it is still difficult and progress in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer has not kept pace with the progress of other cancers.
“The reasons why pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat is two-fold,” explains Dr. Daniel Breadner, Physician, Oncology at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) who is a medical oncologist that is a part of The Baker Centre for Pancreatic Cancer team. “First, the symptoms of pancreatic cancer can overlap with other more common ailments. Often, pancreatic cancer is found after treatments for those other ailments don’t work so it is found at a later stage. Second, the pancreas is fairly hard to image. Small lesions within the pancreas can be difficult to detect.”
The pancreas is deep in the middle of the body. It is not only more difficult to image, but to get to for surgery for treatment as well. If a person is more advanced in age or has other illnesses that may weaken the body, they may not be able to undergo a pancreatic surgery.
Some of the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:
This is not a comprehensive list and other conditions can be risk factors including a history of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) and alcohol mis-use, as well as genetic factors.
Dr. Breadner says, “Individuals with the BRCA mutations that pose a higher risk of developing cancers such as breast and ovarian, are also at higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer as well.”
While pancreatic cancer is more challenging to diagnose and when diagnosed, is often found in those later stages where treatment is more difficult, there are researchers, like those at The Baker Centre for Pancreatic Cancer, who are working on ways to better identify and treat this cancer.
“There are research focuses at The Baker Centre and beyond that are looking at new ways to test for cancer that don’t involve imaging, and new improvements to treat the cancer that may prolong quality of life with the hope we can find a way to cure it in the future,” Dr. Breadner says. “Until that point, the best way to lower your risk of developing pancreatic cancer is to live a healthy lifestyle inclusive of healthy eating and regular exercise and to speak with your primary care provider about concerns you may have about symptoms you may be experiencing.”
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