1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren vogebam here. Of all of the forms 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: of cancer, pancreatic is one of the most dreaded diagnoses. 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: The five year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 5 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: ten according to the American Cancer Society, though that number 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: does represent an improvement over what the survival rate was 7 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: just a decade ago inn, which was only six percent. 8 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,919 Speaker 1: Although the disease has publicly affected icons like Jeopardy host 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: Alex Trebec and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, most 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: people still have a pretty limited understanding of it. So 11 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: how is it that cancer of such a small organ 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: can cause so much trouble and why is the survival 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 1: rates so low? First, it's important to have a grasp 14 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: on where the pancreas is and what it does. About 15 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: six to ten inches that's fifteen long. The pancreas sits 16 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: in the upper left ab been behind the stomach, and 17 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: is surrounded on all sides by other more prominent organs 18 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: like the liver, small intestine, and spleen. The pancreas has 19 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: some big functions, though, like creating and dispensing hormones that 20 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: regulate blood sugar, as well as enzymes that help the 21 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: body digest proteins, fat, and carbohydrates. When the pancreas gets 22 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: out of whack, our health tends to decline pretty quickly, 23 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: and much like ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer is often caught 24 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: at a later stage than other types of cancer. For 25 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Work. 26 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: Spoke by email with Dr Victoria Mannix Bretzon, then chief 27 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: medical officer with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or pan CAN. 28 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: She said there is no standard early detection test for 29 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: pancreatic cancer, and the presenting symptoms may be vague. As 30 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: a result, most cases are diagnosed once the disease has 31 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: reached an advanced stage, making it more difficult to treat 32 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: a Typical symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which are often mistaken 33 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: for other ailments, include weight loss, jaundice, which is yellowing 34 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: of the eyes and or skin, nausea, changes in stool 35 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: or appetite, pancreatis, recent onset diabetes, and or sudden pain, 36 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: typically in the back or abdomen. If pancreatic cancer is suspected, 37 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: the disease is diagnosed by taking tissue samples as well 38 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: as imaging tests. Most cases of pancreatic cancer occur among 39 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: the older population, with diagnoses in people over fifty five 40 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: and in people over sixty. In the United States, it's 41 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 1: more common in men than women. Although none of those 42 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: risk factors can be controlled, others can. Man express And 43 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: said the cause of the majority of pancreatic cancer cases 44 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: is unknown, but there is evidence that age, smoking, being overweight, 45 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: family history of pancreatic cancer, pancreatis and diabetes may increase 46 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: your risk of pancreatic cancer. Much like other cancers, pancreatic 47 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: cancer treatment varies based on stage as well as the 48 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: patient's general health. In the rare instances, when it's caught 49 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: early enough, surgery is an option. However, patients in advanced 50 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: stages are generally directed to chemotherapy. A manics Breton said 51 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: it's not unusual for pancreatic cancer patients to initially respond 52 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: well and then to require further treatment. In fact, that's 53 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: what Trebec reported. He had stage four cancer and was 54 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: near remission in May nineteen, but needed a second round 55 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: of chemotherapy by September of the same year. Not all 56 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: pancreatic cancer tumors are the same, however, but which is 57 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: why Pancan recommends that patients have their tumor molecularly profiled. 58 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: This can help to better pinpoint ideal treatment options because 59 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: the treating physician will more fully understand the biology of 60 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: the tumor. They also recommend clinical trials both that diagnosis 61 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: and re subsequent treatment decision, which may include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, 62 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: and immunotherapy. Some people do turn out to have a 63 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: more benign form of the disease. The Ginsburg, for example, 64 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,479 Speaker 1: lived over ten years after her diagnosis. It's unknown what 65 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: her type of pancreatic cancer was, but around ten to 66 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: fifteen percent of cases are a less aggressive form called 67 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: islet cell tumors. Although no screening is available today, the 68 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: hope is that it will be in the near future. 69 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: Scientists are currently working to identify biomarkers, which are biological 70 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: clues that could serve as warning signs for the early, 71 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: more treatable stages of the disease. These biomarkers are present 72 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: in bodily specimens such as blood, urine, and pancreatic fluid. 73 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: Men Expresson said there are also studies to improve upon 74 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: current imaging techniques to allow doctors to see smaller indications 75 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: of disease. Doctors also have to figure out exactly who 76 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: would benefit from disease screening. Men express It explained many 77 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: efforts focus on people with strong family histories of pancreatic 78 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: cancer or known genetic syndromes linked to the disease. Newer 79 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: studies are evaluating individuals over the age of fifty with 80 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: new onset of diabetes and other clinical symptoms. If you're 81 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: concerned about your pancreatic cancer risk, go to pancan dot org. 82 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: That's p A n c A n dot org to 83 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: find out more about the risk factors, symptoms, and diagnoses. 84 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: They're not a sponsor, just a good organization. Today's episode 85 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: is based on the article why is Pancreatic Cancer So Deadly? 86 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: On how stuff works dot com, written by Leo Hoyt. 87 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio and partnership 88 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 1: with how stuff works dot Com, and it is produced 89 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: by Tyler Clay. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit 90 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 91 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.