The pancreas is a small, hockey stick-shaped gland located behind the stomach. The main jobs of the pancreas are to aid in food digestion and regulate blood sugar levels in the body. The pancreas is involved in maintaining blood sugar levels because it makes insulin and glucagon, two hormones that control blood sugar levels. Pancreatic cancer occurs when changes (mutations) in the pancreas cells lead them to multiply out of control. A mass of tissue can result. Sometimes, this mass is benign (not cancerous). In pancreatic cancer, however, the mass is malignant (cancerous).

Pancreatic cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include:
1) the whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow (jaundice), you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual
2) loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
3) feeling tired or having no energy
4) a high temperature, or feeling hot or shivery
5) feeling or being sick
6) diarrhoea or constipation, or other changes in your poo(Light-colored stools)
7) pain at the top part of your tummy and your back, which may feel worse when you are eating or lying down and better when you lean forward
8) symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling bloated
9) Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
10) Abdominal pain that radiates to your back
11) Dark-colored urine
12) Itchy skin
13) Blood clots
14) Fatigue

A risk factor is something that raises the chance that you will get a disease. There are risk factors that are a result of behavior and that can be changed. For pancreatic cancer, these types of risk factors include:
1) Smoking cigarettes, cigars and using other forms of tobacco.
2) Obesity is also a risk factor. Carrying weight around the waist is a risk factor even if you do not have obesity.
3) Having diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity. The new development of diabetes at an older age and in someone with a normal weight or body mass index could be a sign of pancreatic cancer.
4) Being exposed to chemicals used by dry cleaners and metal workers.
5) Having chronic pancreatitis, a permanent inflammation of the pancreas usually associated with smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol.
6) Hereditary chronic pancreatitis due to gene changes (mutations) passed from parent to child.
7) Hereditary syndromes with gene changes (mutations) in genes — such as BRCA genes passed from parent to child.
9) Being older than 45.
10) Being male.
11) Being Black.
12) Being of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

While there are several types of pancreatic cancer, the vast majority (more than 90 percent) of all diagnoses are for adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. When you read about classic symptoms or prognosis of pancreatic cancer, you are typically reading about adenocarcinoma. Pancreatic cancer types can be divided into two larger categories: exocrine pancreatic cancer, which includes adenocarcinoma, and neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. Each category has several cancer types that may vary in their symptoms and prognosis.
1) Exocrine (Nonendocrine) Pancreatic Cancer
Exocrine pancreatic cancer develops from exocrine cells, which make up the exocrine gland and ducts of the pancreas. The exocrine gland secretes enzymes that help break down carbohydrates, fats, proteins and acids in the duodenum. The various types of exocrine pancreatic cancers make up more than 95 percent of all cancers of the pancreas. They include the following:
Adenocarcinoma
Also called ductal carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, is the most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer diagnoses. This cancer occurs in the lining of the ducts in the pancreas. It’s also possible for adenocarcinoma to develop from the cells that create pancreatic enzymes. When this occurs, it is called acinar cell carcinoma, which accounts for 1 percent to 2 percent of exocrine cancers. Acinar cell carcinoma symptoms are similar to the symptoms of adenocarcinoma, which include abdominal pain, nausea and weight loss. However, jaundice is not as common. Due to an increase in enzymes, some patients may have skin rashes and joint pain.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
This extremely rare nonendocrine cancer of the pancreas forms in the pancreatic ducts, and is made purely of squamous cells, which are not typically seen in the pancreas. There have not been enough reported cases of this disease for its origins to be fully understood. Studies have reported that it has a very bad prognosis due to most cases being discovered after metastasis.
Adenosquamous Carcinoma
This rare type of pancreatic cancer represents 1 percent to 4 percent of exocrine pancreatic cancers. Compared with adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma is a more aggressive tumor with a poorer prognosis. These tumors show characteristics of both ductal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Colloid Carcinoma
Another rare type, colloid carcinomas account for 1 percent to 3 percent of exocrine pancreatic cancers. These tumors tend to develop from a type of benign cyst called an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). Because the pancreatic colloid tumor consists of malignant cells that float in a gelatinous substance called mucin, it is not as likely to spread and is easier to treat than other pancreatic cancers. It also has a much better prognosis.
2) Neuroendocrine Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) develop from cells in the endocrine gland of the pancreas, which secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar. Also known as endocrine or islet cell tumors, neuroendocrine cancers are rare, making up less than 5 percent of all pancreatic cancer cases.

If your doctor suspects pancreatic cancer, he or she may have you undergo one or more of the following tests:
1)Imaging tests that create pictures of your internal organs
These tests help your doctors visualize your internal organs, including the pancreas. Techniques used to diagnose pancreatic cancer include ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and, sometimes, positron emission tomography (PET) scans
2) Using a scope to create ultrasound pictures of your pancreas
An endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) uses an ultrasound device to make images of your pancreas from inside your abdomen. The device is passed through a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) down your esophagus and into your stomach in order to obtain the images.
3) Removing a tissue sample for testing (biopsy)
A biopsy is a procedure to remove a small sample of tissue for examination under a microscope. Most often the tissue is collected during EUS by passing special tools through the endoscope. Less often, a sample of tissue is collected from the pancreas by inserting a needle through your skin and into your pancreas (fine-needle aspiration).
4)Blood test
Your doctor may test your blood for specific proteins (tumor markers) shed by pancreatic cancer cells. One tumor marker test used in pancreatic cancer is called CA19-9. It may be helpful in understanding how the cancer responds to treatment. But the test isn't always reliable because some people with pancreatic cancer don't have elevated CA19-9 levels, making the test less helpful

Pancreatic cancer treatment depends on certain things, including where the tumor is located, what stage it is in, how healthy you are and whether or not the cancer has spread beyond the pancreas. Treatment options include:
1) Surgical removal
The cancerous part of the pancreas (resection) is removed. Lymph nodes near to the pancreas may also be removed. The surgery to remove the pancreas or part of the pancreas is called a pancreatectomy. If your tumor is located in the head (the widest part of pancreas near small intestine) of the pancreas, your provider may recommend the Whipple procedure. This surgical method removes the head of the pancreas, the duodenum (the first portion of the small intestine), the gallbladder, a portion of the bile duct and nearby lymph nodes.
2) Radiation therapy High-speed energy used to kill the cancer cells.
3) Chemotherapy This method uses drugs that kill cancer cells.
4) Immunotherapy: Treatment to help your body fight the cancer. Immunotherapy has largely been ineffective against pancreatic cancer, but about 1% of people with pancreatic cancer and a specific genetic change may benefit from it.
5) Targeted therapy: Directed at certain genes or proteins that help cancer grow. Genetic testing is generally how we determine if a targeted therapy is right for you.
6) Clinical trials: Talk to your doctor about whether participating in a clinical trial might be an option.
Other things to know about treatment:
7) Chemotherapy and/or radiation might be used instead of surgery, before surgery to make the tumor smaller, or after surgery to make sure all cancer cells are killed.
8) Pain management: If pain medication fails to provide relief, an endoscopic procedure called celiac plexus block or neurolysis can be performed under direct guidance from endoscopic ultrasound.
9) Jaundice treatment: Your healthcare provider can insert a stent (tube) inside your bile duct to manage your jaundice symptoms.
10) Reducing intestinal blockage: Your provider can insert a stent to open up the blockage in your small intestine.
11) Diabetes control: Your medical team can help monitor your blood sugar levels and manage your diabetes medicine.
12) Emotional support: Supportive care can also help you understand and process your own emotions and those of your family and friends.

The general 5-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer is 10%. Survival rates and individual outcomes are based on many factors, including the specific stage of the disease when it is diagnosed.

Cancer is a life threatening disease that can affect anyone regardless of race, age, and gender. Traditional cancer treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy often result in undesirable and uncomfortable side effects such as vomiting, numbness, nausea, and diarrhea to name a few. Herbal medicine is a complementary therapy that some people with cancer use to ease cancer symptoms. Herbal remedies for cancer such as those commonly found in traditional medicine contains antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, and apoptosis inducing compounds that help in slowing the development of cancer and relieve treatment side effects for patients.

Herbal medicine has a wide variety of applications but all of them rely on the sustainable use of various plant parts such as flowers, leaves, bark, and roots. Each part of a plant features different medicinal properties and uses. Although herbal medicine has countless use cases, cancer care is one of the most practical applications because of how harsh traditional oncology treatments can be on patients.

Herbal remedies are a part of a growing field of medicine called integrative oncology. Research conducted on the use of herbal medicine for cancer complementary therapy has proven herbs can:
• Slows the spread of cancer
• Reduces the side effects of cancer treatment
• Boosts immune system strength and functionality
• Minimizes the symptoms of cancer
• Attacks cancer cells

Several herbs may help control the side effects of conventional cancer treatment. However, doctors do not recommend that cancer patients take herbal medicine while undergoing normal traditional cancer treatment. Herbal medicines may be likely less to cause side effects than traditional drugs. But patients may can still experience complications. Some herbs may can cause negative interactions with chemotherapy drugs. Closely monitor how you feel before and after taking herbal remedies. Patients should always consult with their doctor before trying herbs as a complementary therapy or the supplements to avoid complications.