Protecting the pancreas is protecting the lifeline! Start with these 5 small things!

Pancreatic cancer, which has attracted much attention recently, is the only disease with a ratio of nearly 1:1 between the number of cases and the number of deaths. It has an insidious onset, is difficult to detect in the early stages, has a high metastasis rate and mortality rate, and is therefore known as the "king of cancer."

The chance of pancreatic cancer is not high, but pancreatic cancer is an extremely dangerous digestive tract tumor. The annual incidence of pancreatic cancer in my country is 5.1/100,000 (5.1 people per 100,000 people get the disease), with about 60,000 new cases each year, a significant increase from 20 years ago. In recent years, pancreatic cancer has always topped the list of malignant tumors with a low survival rate in the 5-year survival rate ranking.

If you have these 5 symptoms, it may be your pancreas calling for help.

The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen of the human body, lying horizontally on the 1st to 2nd lumbar vertebrae of the posterior abdominal wall. It is a narrow and long gland with a soft texture and a gray-red overall color. It can be divided into three parts: the head, body, and tail of the pancreas.

The early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are diverse and atypical. Many of them are similar to upper gastrointestinal diseases and are often treated as stomach diseases in outpatient clinics.

Unexplained abdominal pain or back pain

Abdominal pain is an early symptom of pancreatic cancer, which is more common in pancreatic body and tail cancer. It is located in the upper abdomen, around the umbilicus or right upper abdomen. It is colic in nature, paroxysmal or persistent, progressively worsening dull pain. It is easily confused with the symptoms of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary diseases. The pain mostly radiates to the waist and back, worsens in the lying position and at night, and can be relieved when sitting, standing, leaning forward or walking.

Obstructive jaundice

About 80% of pancreatic cancer patients develop jaundice during the course of the disease. Generally, jaundice is more common in pancreatic head cancer and occurs earlier. When the tumor is limited to the body and tail, there is usually no jaundice. Jaundice is mostly obstructive and progressively deepens, accompanied by skin itching, urine color like strong tea, and clay-colored stool. Most of them are caused by pancreatic head cancer compressing the common bile duct, and a few are caused by pancreatic body and tail cancer metastasizing to the liver or hepatic/common bile duct lymph nodes.

Sudden and significant weight loss

About 90% of patients experience rapid and significant weight loss, which is often accompanied by cachexia in the late stage of pancreatic cancer. The causes of weight loss include cancer consumption, loss of appetite, anxiety, insomnia, digestion and absorption disorders, etc.

Sudden weight loss, especially without intentionally dieting, should alert you to pancreatic cancer.

Sudden increase in blood sugar

Clinically, many pancreatic cancer patients have different degrees of unprovoked diabetes symptoms. For those over 50 years old who have diabetes symptoms without obvious causes, we should highly suspect and exclude hidden pancreatic cancer lesions. Sudden onset of diabetes without risk factors such as family history or obesity should be a cause of concern.

indigestion

Indigestion is one of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer. If vague and unexplained indigestion occurs recently, and gastroscopy shows a normal digestive tract, then hidden pancreatic cancer lesions should be highly suspected and ruled out.

Do these 5 things to protect your pancreas

Eat a light diet and increase vitamin intake

Excessive intake of salt can lead to the destruction of the body's water-sodium balance, which can easily cause functional damage to various organs in the body. Eating a lot of high-fat, high-calorie foods will increase the digestive burden on the pancreas. You should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and maintain the intake of whole grains such as cereals, beans, and sweet potatoes. The fiber, vitamin C, and trace elements in plant foods can resist free radicals and oxidation, prevent cell damage, and help prevent cancer. If your daily diet intake is insufficient, it is recommended to choose naturally extracted vitamin C rather than synthetic vitamin C. Natural vitamin C derived from acerola cherry and citrus extracts provides a variety of active ingredients, making vitamin C easier to absorb, and has a long antioxidant effect in the human body, making it safer and healthier.

Stay away from tobacco and alcohol and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Cigarettes contain more than 10 carcinogens. When smoking, the carbon monoxide and tar in the smoke directly enter the stomach and intestines through the mouth, and finally reach the pancreas. In mild cases, it will cause pancreatic damage, and in severe cases, it will cause cancer. Excessive alcohol will stimulate the rapid increase in pancreatic juice secretion. Once it exceeds the excretion capacity of the pancreatic duct, it may cause acute pancreatitis. Quit smoking and drinking, and promote tea drinking. Drinking tea in moderation can improve immune function and prevent cancer.

Strengthen exercise to enhance the body's immunity

Strengthen physical exercise, promote metabolism, enhance physical fitness, and avoid being overweight and obese. Exercise can promote digestion and balance the digestive function of the pancreas. Exercise can also promote blood circulation, improve the blood supply to the pancreas, and help the pancreas function normally. It should be noted that exercise should be moderate and done within one's ability.

Regular physical examinations to monitor physical condition in a timely manner

Early pancreatic screening programs include: fasting blood sugar and/or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) + serum CA19-9 combined with MRI, upper abdominal color Doppler ultrasound, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or CT, and tumor marker testing. Regular physical examinations can detect symptoms and signs of pancreatic diseases early so that timely measures can be taken for treatment. Physical examinations can also help people develop more scientific diet and life plans to reduce the risk of pancreatic diseases.

Treat chronic diseases promptly

Hyperlipidemia, diabetes, biliary system diseases, etc. can cause pancreatic juice reflux, islet cell damage, etc. Therefore, timely control and active treatment of such diseases can avoid pancreas-related complications and protect pancreatic health.