WEBVTT - How Does Pancreatic Cancer Work? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:06.360 Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:10.520 brain Stuff Lauren vogebam here. Of all of the forms 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:14.360 of cancer, pancreatic is one of the most dreaded diagnoses. 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:17.880 The five year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:21.720 ten according to the American Cancer Society, though that number 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:24.400 does represent an improvement over what the survival rate was 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:27.680 just a decade ago inn, which was only six percent. 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:32.919 Although the disease has publicly affected icons like Jeopardy host 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:36.920 Alex Trebec and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, most 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:40.520 people still have a pretty limited understanding of it. So 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:43.520 how is it that cancer of such a small organ 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:46.680 can cause so much trouble and why is the survival 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.840 rates so low? First, it's important to have a grasp 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.400 on where the pancreas is and what it does. About 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:59.000 six to ten inches that's fifteen long. The pancreas sits 0:00:59.040 --> 0:01:01.680 in the upper left ab been behind the stomach, and 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:05.200 is surrounded on all sides by other more prominent organs 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:09.200 like the liver, small intestine, and spleen. The pancreas has 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:12.960 some big functions, though, like creating and dispensing hormones that 0:01:13.040 --> 0:01:16.040 regulate blood sugar, as well as enzymes that help the 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:20.600 body digest proteins, fat, and carbohydrates. When the pancreas gets 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:23.520 out of whack, our health tends to decline pretty quickly, 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:28.800 and much like ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer is often caught 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.760 at a later stage than other types of cancer. For 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.240 the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Work. 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.840 Spoke by email with Dr Victoria Mannix Bretzon, then chief 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:42.680 medical officer with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or pan CAN. 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.880 She said there is no standard early detection test for 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:51.200 pancreatic cancer, and the presenting symptoms may be vague. As 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:54.320 a result, most cases are diagnosed once the disease has 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.360 reached an advanced stage, making it more difficult to treat 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.600 a Typical symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which are often mistaken 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:06.240 for other ailments, include weight loss, jaundice, which is yellowing 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:09.800 of the eyes and or skin, nausea, changes in stool 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:14.760 or appetite, pancreatis, recent onset diabetes, and or sudden pain, 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:20.480 typically in the back or abdomen. If pancreatic cancer is suspected, 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:23.560 the disease is diagnosed by taking tissue samples as well 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:28.680 as imaging tests. Most cases of pancreatic cancer occur among 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:32.959 the older population, with diagnoses in people over fifty five 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:37.560 and in people over sixty. In the United States, it's 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:41.680 more common in men than women. Although none of those 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:45.840 risk factors can be controlled, others can. Man express And 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:49.280 said the cause of the majority of pancreatic cancer cases 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:53.720 is unknown, but there is evidence that age, smoking, being overweight, 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:58.320 family history of pancreatic cancer, pancreatis and diabetes may increase 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:03.440 your risk of pancreatic cancer. Much like other cancers, pancreatic 0:03:03.480 --> 0:03:06.280 cancer treatment varies based on stage as well as the 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:10.240 patient's general health. In the rare instances, when it's caught 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:14.440 early enough, surgery is an option. However, patients in advanced 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:19.160 stages are generally directed to chemotherapy. A manics Breton said 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:23.040 it's not unusual for pancreatic cancer patients to initially respond 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:27.960 well and then to require further treatment. In fact, that's 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:31.600 what Trebec reported. He had stage four cancer and was 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:35.200 near remission in May nineteen, but needed a second round 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:40.200 of chemotherapy by September of the same year. Not all 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:43.240 pancreatic cancer tumors are the same, however, but which is 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:47.680 why Pancan recommends that patients have their tumor molecularly profiled. 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:51.600 This can help to better pinpoint ideal treatment options because 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:54.720 the treating physician will more fully understand the biology of 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:59.520 the tumor. They also recommend clinical trials both that diagnosis 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:04.320 and re subsequent treatment decision, which may include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:09.080 and immunotherapy. Some people do turn out to have a 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:12.440 more benign form of the disease. The Ginsburg, for example, 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:16.479 lived over ten years after her diagnosis. It's unknown what 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:19.640 her type of pancreatic cancer was, but around ten to 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.800 fifteen percent of cases are a less aggressive form called 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:28.400 islet cell tumors. Although no screening is available today, the 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:30.400 hope is that it will be in the near future. 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:35.160 Scientists are currently working to identify biomarkers, which are biological 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.200 clues that could serve as warning signs for the early, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:42.480 more treatable stages of the disease. These biomarkers are present 0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:45.920 in bodily specimens such as blood, urine, and pancreatic fluid. 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.920 Men Expresson said there are also studies to improve upon 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:53.840 current imaging techniques to allow doctors to see smaller indications 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:58.680 of disease. Doctors also have to figure out exactly who 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:03.120 would benefit from disease screening. Men express It explained many 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:06.560 efforts focus on people with strong family histories of pancreatic 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.280 cancer or known genetic syndromes linked to the disease. Newer 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:13.360 studies are evaluating individuals over the age of fifty with 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:18.640 new onset of diabetes and other clinical symptoms. If you're 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:22.800 concerned about your pancreatic cancer risk, go to pancan dot org. 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:25.760 That's p A n c A n dot org to 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.200 find out more about the risk factors, symptoms, and diagnoses. 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:38.200 They're not a sponsor, just a good organization. Today's episode 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:41.040 is based on the article why is Pancreatic Cancer So Deadly? 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:43.480 On how stuff works dot com, written by Leo Hoyt. 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:45.960 Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio and partnership 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:47.599 with how stuff works dot Com, and it is produced 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:51.000 by Tyler Clay. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:53.640 the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:54.920 listen to your favorite shows.