A brief discussion on the "king of cancer" - pancreatic cancer. Early detection is very important. Pay attention to this symptom and be sure to take it seriously.

In the past, liver cancer was called the "king of cancers", but in recent years, with the improvement of detection and treatment technology, the survival time of liver cancer patients has been greatly extended, and the title of "king of cancers" has changed hands. Due to the extremely high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer and the short survival time of patients, pancreatic cancer has become the new "king of cancers". The prognosis of pancreatic cancer is extremely poor, so early detection is particularly important. I hope everyone will pay attention to the early symptoms.

The King of Cancers - Pancreatic Cancer With the advancement of medical technology, the survival rates of most cancers are increasing, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, etc. In recent decades, the survival rate of cancer patients has been greatly improved, but there is one exception, that is pancreatic cancer, the survival rate of pancreatic cancer has been stagnant.

Pancreatic cancer is known as the "king of cancers". According to statistics, the mortality rate of pancreatic cancer patients in my country is as high as 92.7%, ranking first among all cancers. This disease is difficult to treat and has a high degree of deterioration. In the process of continuous development, it will pose a serious threat to human health. If it is not discovered in time and reasonable measures are not taken to actively improve it, the five-year survival rate of advanced patients is very low, basically less than 10%, and the median survival time is only about one year.

Pancreatic cancer is more common in people over 50 years old, with a slightly higher prevalence in men. According to the location of the pancreas, it is divided into pancreatic head cancer, pancreatic body cancer, pancreatic tail cancer and whole pancreatic cancer, among which pancreatic head cancer accounts for the majority. Clinically, most pancreatic head cancers are found to be progressive obstructive jaundice due to involvement. Body and tail cancers are more hidden and are usually metastatic when discovered. About 1/4 of patients develop peripheral venous thrombosis.

Why is pancreatic cancer so deadly? The early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are not obvious. The main symptom is jaundice, yellowing of the eyes or skin, which may also occur during hepatitis or biliary disease. Therefore, early pancreatic cancer is also misdiagnosed as hepatitis or cholecystitis, gallstones. The most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are abdominal pain, upper abdominal fullness and discomfort, and jaundice.

Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of exocrine pancreatic tumor, and its mortality rate is very high. The main reason is that the metastasis rate of pancreatic cancer is very high. Advanced pancreatic cancer generally metastasizes to multiple organs such as the liver, intestines, and stomach, which makes the treatment of pancreatic cancer extremely difficult. Moreover, due to its hidden onset, it is difficult to detect and treat early, and the prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients is also very poor, which indirectly leads to the high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer.

In addition, most pancreatic cancer patients cannot undergo surgery, and only about 10% of them can undergo surgery. Surgery cannot completely remove pancreatic cancer, and many patients will still relapse and metastasize after surgery. After surgery, pancreatic cancer patients still need radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immune targeted therapy, etc., but the control effect is still poor. This is also one of the reasons why pancreatic cancer can be called the king of cancer.

Diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer Treatment of early pancreatic cancer: Patients with early pancreatic cancer who have not metastasized can undergo surgery if their physical condition allows. Elderly and frail patients should choose with caution. Surgery is a local treatment method that often cannot completely remove the tumor and is prone to recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, consolidation therapy in the later stage is the key. Postoperative treatment can be combined with biological immunotherapy, which can accurately kill residual cancer cells after surgery, improve the patient's immunity, consolidate the surgical effect, effectively improve the prognosis, and prevent metastasis and recurrence.

Treatment methods for mid-to-late stage pancreatic cancer: Most pancreatic cancer patients are already in the mid-to-late stage when diagnosed, and most have metastasized. Surgical treatment is very unlikely, and radiotherapy, chemotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine are often used for treatment. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can control local symptoms and have a good effect in inhibiting cancer cells, but they have certain limitations.

Radiotherapy has great toxic side effects, which can make patients more tired, cause skin damage and even hair loss; chemotherapy kills cancer cells while also harming normal cells, causing patients to experience a series of side effects, such as vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and low red and white blood cells and platelets, which are unbearable for the elderly and weak. Combining chemotherapy with biological immunotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer can effectively improve the patient's immune mechanism, reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, improve the patient's drug resistance, and greatly improve the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the pancreas is located to the right of the cardia and to the left of the pylorus, and is a place for smooth passage. For pancreatic cancer, traditional Chinese medicine treatment mainly includes drug therapy and external treatment. Drug therapy is to coordinate different Chinese medicinal materials according to the symptoms of different organs for treatment; external treatment can be treated with paste prescriptions, ointments applied to the skin, and acupuncture. In addition, Xu Jingfan, a master of traditional Chinese medicine, believes that the clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer should be based on the word "pass", and innovatively proposed the "Five Pass Methods", namely, to clear the meridians and relieve pain, to clear the tubes and relieve jaundice, to clear the bowels and disperse knots, to clear the yang and relieve depression, and to clear the accumulation and nourish the body, which is also very effective.

Early detection of pancreatic cancer There is a lack of specific early diagnosis methods for pancreatic cancer. Symptoms usually appear when the tumor grows to affect the function of the stomach, liver or other adjacent organs. Symptoms are usually vague and non-specific and can be easily overlooked. Therefore, finding valuable pancreatic cancer molecular markers, imaging examinations, and molecular level examinations such as the whole genome, transcriptome, and proteome, strengthening the prevention of pancreatic cancer and monitoring of high-risk groups, and timely detecting early cases are the key to improving the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

For example, some patients may show early symptoms of elevated fasting blood sugar or impaired glucose tolerance, which is the result of damage to pancreatic tissue, so patients with abnormal blood sugar should be taken seriously. When patients experience symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, mid-upper abdominal pain, and jaundice, although they may also be caused by other diseases, the consequences are far less serious than pancreatic cancer, but any symptoms should be taken seriously and further examined for active prevention.

Prevention of pancreatic cancer Overeating and drinking heavily are the main risk factors for pancreatic cancer, so you should avoid overeating and drinking. Drink in moderation and eat three meals on time.