'Cancer king' pancreatic cancer, many people mistakenly think it is stomach disease! 4 symptoms appear, seek medical attention as soon as possible

After retiring, Lao Huang lived a chic life. Until October last year, he suddenly found that he often couldn't eat, especially when he saw meat. After telling his son about the situation, his son hurriedly took him to the hospital for a gastroscopy, which showed gastritis and gastric ulcer .

So the doctor prescribed conventional gastric medicine to Lao Huang. After taking it for a period of time, Lao Huang felt that the symptoms were still not relieved.

Hearing from an old man that there is a Chinese medicine doctor who is very "spiritual" in treating stomach problems, so Lao Huang went to the old doctor to prescribe several Chinese medicines, but they didn't work.

In this way, Lao Huang procrastinated again and again, until this summer, he suddenly suffered from severe back pain, fainted to the ground, and was not diagnosed with pancreatic cancer until he was sent to the hospital . It is a pity that it is already in the late stage and the opportunity for surgery has been missed.

Pancreatic cancer is known as the "king of cancer". In recent years, the incidence of pancreatic cancer in China has been on the rise. The degree of malignancy of pancreatic cancer is extremely high. Although with the development of medical technology and the improvement of treatment methods, the survival rate Still only 5%.

In this regard, how should we prevent and deal with it?

1. The survival rate is only 5%. Why is pancreatic cancer so difficult to treat?

Analysis of pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality trends in China from 2005 to 2015 shows that age is one of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer, and the incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer increase with age, with the age of onset concentrated in the 40-80 age group. It reaches the highest around 70-80 years old.

Although the risk of pancreatic cancer in the elderly is generally higher than that in young people, the incidence of pancreatic cancer has also shown a younger trend in recent years, reminding young people to pay attention.

The occurrence of pancreatic cancer is related to unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, reduced physical activity, changes in dietary structure, diabetes and other factors.

Due to the high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer , surgical resection is still the main treatment at present, and the effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is not ideal. Coupled with the atypical clinical symptoms and the lack of specific early diagnostic markers, 80% of pancreatic cancer patients are already in the middle and late stage when they see a doctor clinically, and have lost the opportunity for surgery.

Can pancreatic cancer be so difficult to treat? Mainly related to the following factors:

One is that pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early . Pancreatic cancer is known as an "unpredictable ghost". From the perspective of anatomical structure, the pancreas is located behind other organs, and it is difficult to detect with general imaging examinations.

Moreover, pancreatic cancer is not a high-incidence cancer, so large-scale general screening cannot be carried out through CT. Pancreatic cancer is also very good at camouflage, there are no obvious and specific symptoms in the early stage, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed and missed.

The second is the lack of targeted drugs . Any tumor cell has gene mutations, such as lung cancer. For non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR mutation or ALK fusion mutation, the use of targeted drugs can effectively improve the quality of life and prolong survival.

It is a pity that pancreatic cancer is not EGFR or ALK mutation, the most common one is KRAS gene mutation, so it is not possible to directly use lung cancer drugs , and currently there is no targeted drug for KRAS.

Third, the tumor microenvironment is complex. Each tumor cell is in its own specific microenvironment. The microenvironment of pancreatic cancer is tightly wrapped by various microenvironmental cells and their secretions, making it difficult for drugs to enter.

Therefore, whether it is chemotherapy or PD-1 immunotherapy, the therapeutic effect on pancreatic cancer is not ideal.

2. If you have 4 symptoms in your body, don’t treat them as stomach problems

Pancreatic cancer is very good at "disguising", and it is especially easy to be regarded as a stomach problem. In addition to the particularity of the location of the pancreas, the pancreas is the second largest digestive gland in the human body and one of the most important secretory glands, with dual functions of internal and external secretion.

Therefore, once there is a problem, it will manifest as digestive dysfunction, such as upper abdominal discomfort, poor appetite, indigestion, abdominal distension, diarrhea, etc., and it is easy to be treated as a stomach problem .

Therefore, once the following abnormalities appear in the body, you need to pay attention to it and don't confuse it with other diseases:

1. Pain and fullness in the middle and upper abdomen

Because the outlet of the pancreas is connected to the bile duct, when the pancreas is diseased, the pancreatic duct or bile duct will also be obstructed, resulting in poor bile excretion, causing pain and fullness in the upper and middle abdomen.

Different from stomach problems, the pain in the middle and upper abdomen caused by pancreatic cancer manifests as dull pain, especially after meals, and the pain range expands.

2. Low back pain

The position of the pancreas is relatively backward. When pancreatic cancer invades the celiac plexus, it will cause persistent low back pain. The pain is aggravated at night or when lying on the back or flat, and the pain is relieved when bending over or lying on the side. Learn to differentiate from lumbar muscle strain.

3. "Jaundice" occurs

Liver lesions generally cause jaundice, which is manifested as yellow eyes and skin. In addition, pancreatic cancer can also cause jaundice. More than 60% of the cancers of the head of the pancreas will have jaundice symptoms, which are related to the obstruction of the bile duct by the tumor.

4. Sudden weight loss

Sudden weight loss of more than 10%, accompanied by fatigue, anorexia, indigestion and other symptoms, is also one of the danger signs of pancreatic cancer.

Three or four types of people are easy to be "targeted" by pancreatic cancer, so be more vigilant

Don't think that pancreatic cancer is far away from us. These types of people are most likely to be targeted, so we should be more vigilant.

• smoking

Smoking is considered a high-risk factor for pancreatic cancer, because the carcinogen nitrosamines in cigarettes enter the body and are transported to the liver along with the blood flow, then enter the bile, and flow back into the pancreatic duct. In addition, smoking can also increase blood lipid concentration, which indirectly increases the risk of cancer.

• drink wine

Alcohol belongs to a class of carcinogens that have been linked to the development of various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Long-term heavy drinking can cause fibrosis of pancreatic tissue , lead to chronic pancreatitis, and increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

• diabetes

Diabetes is also closely related to the occurrence of pancreatic cancer. Studies have found that the risk of pancreatic cancer in diabetic patients is about 2 to 4 times that of normal people .

Because the pancreas can regulate blood sugar, when the gland is dysfunctional, blood sugar will rise. Conversely, abnormal local immune function in diabetic patients will also increase the risk of pancreatic malignant transformation.

• obesity

Excessive intake of fat, starch, protein, etc. will increase the burden on the pancreas, thereby increasing the risk of pancreatic cell deterioration, leading to the occurrence of pancreatic cancer.

It can be seen that the symptoms of pancreatic cancer are very hidden, and the key lies in early screening. At present, the main screening methods for pancreatic cancer are thin-section, enhanced, and multi-phase CT scans. It is recommended that high-risk groups aged 45-50 undergo regular pancreatic cancer screening .

All in all, to prevent pancreatic cancer and reduce the risk, we must always remember: eat a healthy diet, avoid intake of large amounts of high-fat, high-protein, and high-sugar foods, and eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; quit smoking and alcohol; strengthen physical exercise , enhance physical fitness; less exposure to harmful chemicals such as naphthylamine and aniline.

References

[1] "From diagnosis to death, less than 3 months! "Find out" early pancreatic cancer, don't let go of 4 signals". Health Morning News. 2021-05-21

[2] "Why is pancreatic cancer so difficult to treat?" Where is hope? ".Pineapple Factor.2020-09-11

[3] "How to prevent the "king of cancer" pancreatic cancer? Anyone over this age must be screened! ". Health Times. 2022-03-11

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