The most "introverted" cancer! Pay attention to four warning signs

Pancreatic cancer is known as the "king of cancer" in the medical community because of its hidden onset, low early diagnosis rate, rapid progression and extremely poor prognosis.

Wu Zunyou, the well-known and respected chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during the 2021 epidemic. He battled cancer for two years and died in Beijing at 12:56 on October 27, 2023 due to ineffective treatment. He was 60 years old.

During this period, "pancreatic cancer" has been on the hot search list many times, attracting attention.

Why is pancreatic cancer so dangerous? Who is more likely to get pancreatic cancer? And how can we prevent it?

Known as the "King of Cancer"

Why is it so dangerous?

Pancreatic cancer has the characteristics of three highs and three lows in clinical treatment: high incidence, high recurrence rate, and high mortality rate; low early diagnosis rate, low surgical resection rate, and low drug efficacy.

Most pancreatic cancer patients are in the middle or late stages when they seek medical treatment. The surgical resection rate is less than 20%, and the average survival time of pancreatic cancer patients who do not receive any treatment is only 3 to 6 months . Therefore, pancreatic cancer is called the "king of cancer."

Why is the survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients so low? There are two reasons for this: First, the pancreas is hidden in the retroperitoneum, and the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are not obvious, the symptoms are not specific, and it is easy to be confused with gastrointestinal diseases or biliary system diseases; second, the natural course of pancreatic cancer develops very quickly. In other words, the window period for early detection of pancreatic cancer is very short.

Statistics from the National Cancer Center of China in 2021 show that pancreatic cancer ranks 7th in incidence among malignant tumors in men and 11th in women in my country, and accounts for 6th place in malignant tumor-related mortality.

Difficult to find!

What symptoms should you be alert to?

"Difficult to detect" is a major feature of pancreatic cancer. Early symptoms are atypical, and most patients are already in the middle and late stages when they seek clinical treatment. Therefore, early detection and early treatment are particularly important. The "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer (2022 Edition)" introduces the main clinical manifestations of pancreatic cancer.

Attention! When the following symptoms occur, you need to be vigilant. When the following warning signs appear, everyone should pay attention:

1. Abdominal discomfort or pain is a common first symptom. Most pancreatic cancer patients only experience upper abdominal discomfort or dull pain, dull pain, and bloating. Symptoms can be easily confused with those of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary diseases. If there is also obstruction of the pancreatic juice outlet, pain or discomfort may worsen after eating. Invasion of the celiac plexus by mid- to late-stage tumors can cause persistent severe abdominal pain.

The second is weight loss and fatigue. 80% to 90% of pancreatic cancer patients experience weight loss, fatigue, and weight loss in the early stages of the disease, which is related to lack of appetite, anxiety, and tumor consumption.

The third is digestive tract symptoms. When the tumor blocks the lower end of the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct, bile and pancreatic juice cannot enter the duodenum, and indigestion symptoms often occur. Damage to the exocrine function of the pancreas may cause diarrhea. Advanced pancreatic cancer invading the duodenum can cause digestive tract obstruction or bleeding.

The fourth is jaundice. It is related to the obstruction of the bile duct outlet and is the most important clinical manifestation of pancreatic head cancer, which may be accompanied by skin itching, dark tea-colored urine and clay-like stools.

How to prevent it?

High-risk factors must be taken seriously

The direct cause of pancreatic cancer is still unclear. Currently known risk factors for pancreatic cancer mainly include the following.

Non-genetic factors: smoking. Obesity, the incidence of pancreatic cancer increases significantly in people with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. An unreasonable diet, excessive intake of saturated fatty acids and/or meat increases the incidence of pancreatic cancer. Diabetes, especially new-onset diabetes. Chronic pancreatitis, repeated inflammation stimulates pancreatic cell cancer. Occupational exposure, such as long-term exposure to asbestos, pesticides, fuel, oil, etc. People with non-genetic high-risk factors should adjust their lifestyles in a timely manner, focusing on prevention.

Genetic factors: Studies have found that 10% to 20% of pancreatic cancer patients have a family history. Therefore, those who have a direct relative with a history of pancreatic cancer should be vigilant.

Key points: Since the long-term prognosis of patients with mid- to late-stage pancreatic cancer is poor, early diagnosis and early treatment are the key to improving the prognosis of patients. People with high-risk factors need to undergo regular checkups and be alert to the occurrence of pancreatic cancer, with the emphasis on prevention and early detection.

How to do early screening?

People who have routine physical examinations can undergo regular screening of ultrasound and tumor markers every year. Among them, CA19-9 is a relatively sensitive indicator and is used to monitor the occurrence and progression of the disease. Its sensitivity and specificity are over 80%.

When ultrasound examination finds abnormalities or abnormal elevations in tumor markers, enhanced imaging examinations should be further performed to confirm the diagnosis. If the diagnosis is still difficult, endoscopic ultrasound and puncture biopsy can be considered to confirm the diagnosis. People with high-risk factors should shorten regular screening to every six months, and should also consider regular enhanced imaging examinations.