Pancreatic cancer is a very common form of cancer that affects well over 200,000 people every year in the U.S. This cancer begins in the organ known as the pancreas, which is situated just behind the lower portion of the stomach. The pancreas is an essential gland within the body that works by secreting certain enzymes that help with the digestion of foods you eat as well as the metabolism of different sugars. If you have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the early or middle stages of the disease, there's a decent chance that you will be able to fight the cancer with treatment. The methods that are most commonly used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer include removing the pancreas altogether via surgery as well as chemotherapy and radiation.
While pancreatic cancer does come with possible treatments, the causes of this disease are unknown, although there are some risk factors that make you more susceptible to the development of it. If you smoke cigarettes, the chance of contracting this cancer doubles, while nearly 80 percent of everyone who suffers from this disease are between the ages of 60 and 80. If you've suffered from other diseases such as chronic inflammation within the pancreas or diabetes mellitus, it's possible that you could eventually develop this cancer.
