Pancreatic cancer occurs when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply uncontrollably and form a mass. These cancer cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. There are a number of known types of pancreatic cancer.
The most common pancreatic adenocarcinoma accounts for about 90% of cases, and the term "pancreatic cancer" is sometimes used to refer only to that type. These adenocarcinomas begin in the part of the pancreas that makes digestive enzymes. Several other types of cancer, which together represent the majority of non-adenocarcinomas, can also arise from these cells. About 1-2% of pancreatic cancers are neuroendocrine tumors, which arise from the hormone-producing cells of the pancreas. These are generally less aggressive than pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Signs and symptoms of the most common form of pancreatic cancer may include yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light-colored stools, dark urine and loss of appetite. Usually, no symptoms are seen in the early stages of the disease, and symptoms specific enough to indicate pancreatic cancer usually do not develop until the disease has reached an advanced stage. By the time of diagnosis, pancreatic cancer has often spread to other parts of the body.
Pancreatic cancer rarely occurs before age 40, and more than half of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cases occur in people older than 70. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, obesity, diabetes and certain rare genetic conditions. About 25% of cases are linked to smoking and 5-10% are linked to inherited genes. Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed by a combination of medical imaging techniques such as ultrasound or computed tomography, blood tests and examination of tissue samples (biopsy). The disease is divided into stages, from early (stage I) to late (stage IV). Screening the general population has not proven effective.
Treatment BeterKlinic
BeterKliniek is the clinic for Integrative Medicine that bridges regular and non-regular medicine.
An van Veen (physician) and Michael van Gils (therapist) look for the cause of a condition or disease. That is where the treatment starts otherwise, as people often say, it is 'carrying water to the sea'. We call this cause medicine. Sometimes it is also desirable to treat the symptoms (at the same time). We call this symptom medicine.
Chronic disorders often have their cause in epi- genetics. You can schedule a free informative telephone consultation (phone number 040-7117337 until 1 p.m.) at BeterKliniek to discuss your symptoms so that we can provide you with further advice.
