The world of disease and illness has been the biggest mystery the world has ever faced. How the human body handles those disease and illnesses is another story entirely. Some illnesses are profound and catch the individual off guard. Other diseases, such as pancreatic cancer, creep up on a person and go unnoticed for quite some time. The gland, also known as the pancreas, is located behind the stomach. The pancreas promotes the breakdown of food by secreting pancreatic juices and controls the hormones (insulin and glucagon) used to help control blood glucose levels (Medline Plus). When one speaks of pancreatic cancer, they are describing the development of malignant cells within the tissues of the pancreas (National Cancer Institute). For one …show more content…
One must be informed about the background of pancreatic cancer. There have been six different types of pancreatic cancer found. Each form of pancreatic cancer relies on the kind of cell that develops it. The two types of cells that involve the pancreas include the exocrine cell and the endocrine cell. The exocrine cells handle the production of digestive juices while the endocrine cells control the production of hormones. The six different type’s pancreatic cancer is adenocarcinoma, islet cell carcinoma, pancreaticoblastoma, isolated sarcomas and blastomas, pseudopapillary neoplasms, and ampullary cancer. Adenocarcinoma affects mainly the exocrine cells and is the primary form of pancreatic cancer. It accounts for up to 95% of all cases. Islet cell carcinoma is an endocrine cell cancer and is mostly malignant. The tumors involved with this form of cancer can be either functional and produce dangerously high levels of hormones or non-functional, producing no hormones. Pancreaticoblastoma is considered rare and is found in young children whereas isolated sarcomas and lymphomas may occur within the pancreas but are exceedingly rare. Pseudopapillary neoplasms occur mostly in younger women while ampullary cancer is a type of tumor that forms at the intersection of the bile duct and the pancreatic duct leading into the small intestine (MD Anderson Cancer …show more content…
In 2015, there was an estimate of 48,960 adults in the United States who became newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 24,840 of these individuals represented men, and 24,120 represented women. There was also an estimated 40,560 deaths in the United States. 20,710 of these deaths were men, and 19,850 deaths were women. It is considered the eighth most common type of cancer among women along with the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among adults. The overall one-year survival rate is 28% along with a five-year survival rate of about 7%. There is an average lifetime risk of development of approximately 1 in 67 meaning that there is a 1.5% chance of developing pancreatic cancer over a lifetime (American Cancer Society). To establish a connection between the life and death statistics related to pancreatic cancer, one must understand the method of diagnosis and treatment