Treating and Coping With Pancreatic Cancer
Although significant progress has been made in diagnosis and treating many types of cancers, one type of cancer that remains highly intractable to treatment is pancreatic cancer. In fact, pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect because symptoms may not occur until the condition is well advanced, and even when it is diagnosed early, patient prognoses are poor. Although pancreatic cancer represents just around 3% of all types of cancers in the United States, the condition is responsible for approximately 7% of all cancer deaths (Key statistics, 2015). This paper provides a description of the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer followed by a discussion concerning the complications and side effects that are associated with the disease. Finally, a description of the methods that are used to lessen the physical and psychological effects of treatment for pancreatic cancer is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning this disease in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
Description of the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer originates in pancreatic tissues, but individuals who develop this type of cancer are faced with poor prognoses even when the condition is diagnosed early on (Pancreatic cancer causes, 2015). According to the Mayo Clinic, "Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it is a leading cause of cancer death" (Pancreatic cancer causes, 2015, para. 2). Moreover, in many cases, there will not be any discernible symptoms or signs of pancreatic cancer until the condition is well and advanced, preventing the use of surgical intervention (Pancreatic cancer causes, 2015). In this regard, Shah (2008) emphasizes that, "Due to its late onset of symptoms, pancreatic cancer often goes undetected until it's too late" (p. 29).
The American Cancer Society's 2015 estimates for pancreatic cancer in the United States indicate that approximately...
These rates have remained fairly stable in recent years (Key statistics, 2015). Although no major professional groups recommend screening tests for pancreatic cancer at present because there are no screening tests available that have been demonstrated effective at reducing mortality rates, tumor markers can help diagnosis the condition, but in most cases, the condition is too advanced by the time tumor markers are generated (Key statistics, 2015).
Complications and Side Effects Associated with Pancreatic Cancer Treatments
The four main methods that are currently used to treat pancreatic cancer and their associated side effects are as follows:
1. Surgery: This is the only intervention that has a reasonable chance of curing some types of pancreatic cancer, but it is only effective in a small percentage of patients and can result in severe side effects and complications. The complications that are associated with surgical interventions include: (a) leaking from the various
connections among organs made by the surgeon; (b) infections; (c) bleeding; and (d) problems with emptying the stomach after meals.
2. Ablative techniques: These interventions attempt to destroy the pancreatic cancer using various methods such as microwaves rather than removing them surgically, but these techniques are unlikely to cure the condition in isolation from other treatments. Some of the complications that are associated with ablative techniques include fever, nausea,
infection,
abdominal pain, and blood clots in blood vessels that are in close proximity to the treated area.
3. Radiation therapy: High-energy X-rays are used in radiation therapy to destroy pancreatic cancer cells, but some types of pancreatic cancer are unresponsive to this intervention. This method may be used prior to surgical interventions or
chemotherapy (discussed below) to improve their effectiveness. Some of the side effects that are commonly associated with radiation therapy include: (a) skin changes similar to sunburn in radiated areas; (b) nausea and vomiting; (c) diarrhea; (d) fatigue; (e) poor appetite; (f)
weight loss; (g) diminished blood counts; and (h) increased risk of infection.
4. Chemotherapy and other drugs: These interventions use orally administered or injected anti-cancer
drugs such as Gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil which spread through the entire body, making their use especially appropriate in cases where the pancreatic cancer has spread to other regions of the body. This approach is frequently…
