“Looking back now, it’s really only two months, and God refuses to give my dad even one more day.” Max, a watermelon video blogger “Serious Law”, shared himself sadly on the Internet My father’s experience with pancreatic cancer.

At the beginning of last year, his father had symptoms of upset stomach and poor appetite. Most people only regarded these symptoms as indigestion, and Max’s father also That’s what it thinks. It was not until later that it became more and more serious, and I couldn’t even eat food, so I went to the hospital for examination, and finally found out “malignant tumor of the pancreas (liver metastasis, possible intra-abdominal metastasis), possible cancerous ascites, gastric bleeding, gastric retention, rectal polyps”

A series of words on the medical certificate made Max breathless, the doctor and Without treatment, he said, his father might only have two months to live.

Max was not reconciled, and took his father to seek medical treatment. Unfortunately, the operation was completely impossible, and he was insensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. He pinned his last hope on targeted therapy. Regrettably, in the process of seeking medical treatment and waiting for the results, Max’s father’s life was also withering day by day, and he was not given a chance at all. Max’s father continued to develop ascites, gastric bleeding, and duodenal obstruction one after another. , myocardial infarction and other complications.

Finally, the doctor’s prediction was verified, and Max’s father did not live for more than two months. Max’s father’s experience is the epitome of many pancreatic cancer patients. Among all cancers, pancreatic cancer is the most terrifying. More than 90% of patients are diagnosed in an advanced and inoperable state. Without treatment, most of them will survive for less than half a year.

1. How terrible is pancreatic cancer and how does it “kill”?

Among malignant tumors, pancreatic cancer has always existed like the “king”. Yang Yinmo, Director of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital described pancreatic cancer as a “hermit” in the early stage, and there are two main reasons for the high mortality rate .

1. Early detection is difficult

Because the pancreas is located deep in the abdominal cavity, early symptoms are not Obviously, most of the patients are in the middle and late stages when they go to the doctor due to discomfort. Many patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are admitted to the hospital for examination.Only 20%-30% of the patients have the opportunity for surgery, most patients Even the opportunity for surgery was lost.

2. Limited treatment options

Pancreatic cancer itself is highly malignant and prone to recurrence Surgery is the main treatment method, but most patients lose surgery and are prone to resistance to chemotherapy drugs.Innate resistance to chemotherapy and acquired resistance< /span>, in the course of chemotherapy, cancer cells can change their shape and gene sequence to resist chemotherapy drugs.

Second, focus: upset stomach, maybe the pancreas is calling for help

Many people who have an upset stomach and poor digestion will subconsciously regard it as “stomach disease”, but it is not just the stomach that affects digestion.

The pancreas is “hidden” deep in the abdomen of our body, covered by the liver, gallbladder, and stomach in front of it, making it very inconspicuous. But it is such a “small organ”, but it is the second largest digestive gland in the human body, which undertakes both endocrine and exocrine functions. Endocrine mainly secretes hormones into the blood, and exocrine mainly secretes digestive enzymes.

Currently, more than 60% of patients are easily misdiagnosed as stomach disease, chronic cholecystitis, etc. Thereby delaying the best time to treat pancreatic cancer.

How to distinguish pancreatic cancer from stomach disease? Generally, there are two types of abdominal pain, so don’t delay:

1. Pancreatic cancer pain is different in nature and accompanied by various symptoms

Patients with stomach problems may experience pain in different parts of the stomach, such as ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux, burning sensations in the stomach, stomach cramps, Needle-like pain. However, most patients with pancreatic cancer have abdominal swelling, and the disease is also accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and ascites.

2. The pain of pancreatic cancer can change with the change of body position

pancreas Pain in cancer patients varies with body position. For example, in the state of supine or stretching the spine, the location of the tumor may aggravate abdominal pain, and even involve epigastric pain, but It is relieved when the patient bends and squats.

3. Pancreas What are the other symptoms of cancer?

In addition to having similar symptoms to stomach problems, pancreatic cancer may also leave these “trails”:

1. High blood sugar

Compared with the general population, diabetic patients have a 2-fold increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, especially those older than 50 years old. Diabetes is more associated with pancreatic cancer. It is currently speculated that may be associated with metabolic changes caused by hyperglycemia, the lack of DNA in pancreatic cells Repair the raw material, resulting in KRAS mutation, and 90% of pancreatic cancers have KRAS mutation.

2, low back pain p>

The pancreas is behind the peritoneum, close to the spine. If the tumor is located near the body and tail of the pancreas, as the pancreatic tumor grows and invades or compresses the celiac plexus, it may cause back pain.

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3. Diarrhea

When the pancreas becomes diseased, the digestive function will be weakened. The fat is basically dependent on the digestion of the pancreas. The fat cannot be digested and is directly excreted through the feces to form.steatorrhea. Patients with chronic pancreatitis such as no abdominal pain, etc. It is easy to be confused with digestive tract diseases such as enteritis.

4. Jaundice

If the pancreatic cancer is located at the head of the pancreas, it may compress the pancreatic duct, causing the pancreatic duct to dilate, and also compress the bile duct. When the bile duct becomes obstructed, jaundice may occur (skin, sclera, etc. , yellow urine), which is also one of the common clinical manifestations of pancreatic head cancer.

4. Extended reading: discover early pancreatic cancer, Scientists have developed a new method.

Recently, the Moores Cancer Center research team analyzed data from stage I and stage 2 cancer patients and control groups and found that the use of plasma < strong>Extracellular vesicles (EVs) biomarkerscan be detected in 95.5% of stage I pancreatic cancers.

New screening technology shows great promise in early detection of pancreatic cancer, according to Dr. Scott M. Lippman, director of the Moores Cancer Center, Five times more accurate than current liquid biopsy multi-cancer detection methods in detecting early-stage cancer. If there are practical means for early cancer screening, the 5-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer will be greatly improved.

Unfortunately, this method is still under clinical research. If you want to screen for pancreatic cancer early, you still need to rely on existing inspection methods and regular physical examinations.

pancreatic cancer is difficult to self-aware,China Chengfeng Wang, Cancer Hospital of the Academy of Medical Sciences, suggested that all people between the ages of 45 and 50 should be screened for pancreatic cancer. Especiallyobesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, or past surgery for benign diseases of the digestive tract, biliary tract, family history of pancreatic cancer All belong to the high-risk group of pancreatic cancer, and CT examination should be performed as soon as possible to check for early lesions.

The pancreas is an important digestive organ, and a major cause of its disease is inseparable from eating habits. Therefore, for people who like to eat pickled food, barbecued food, high-fat, high-protein food, they must pay attention to their digestive abnormalities, check regularly, and do not wait for obvious symptoms before seeking medical attention.

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