Pancreatic cancer is cancer that grows in the pancreas. The
pancreas itself is a gland, which is located in the abdomen or abdominal
cavity, or more precisely behind the stomach.
On the other hand, the pancreas also has two main functions. Namely
producing enzymes for food digestion, and producing the hormone insulin in
regulating blood sugar levels.
Please note, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of
cancer. In Indonesia, this cancer occupies the 12th position, for the cause of
death caused by pancreatic cancer.
Food What is an FKUI Professor?
Launching from detikhealth, Saturday (13/1/24), Internal Medicine
Specialist, Prof. Ari Fachrial Syam, also known as a Professor at the
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia,
said that pancreatic cancer has also stalked young people, with the risk factor
for developing the disease increasing when someone consumes excessive amounts
of certain foods.
Not only that, he also said that foods that are high in fat,
including red meat, can affect a person's organs to have to work harder or
extra. In this case, one of them is the pancreas.
Then, Prof. Ari explained, when the body's organs work harder, for
a long time, they will experience problems and these problems cannot be
avoided. The reason is, fatty meat, will be difficult to digest and more likely
to trigger inflammation, which leads to polyps. Polyps themselves, are abnormal
tissues, and have stalks that grow in the body.
Therefore, Prof. Ari also did not forget to remind the public to
limit the consumption of fatty red meat. As for daily protein needs, Prof. Ari
suggests looking for other alternatives such as poultry, tempeh, tofu, chicken
or fish.
In addition, most cases of pancreatic cancer have been found at the
age of more than 45 years. While 90% of them occur from patients at the age of
more than 55 years, and the other 70% at the age of 65 years and over.
Are there other causes of pancreatic cancer?
Basically, the cause of pancreatic cancer is not known for certain.
However, there are some suspected factors that may increase the risk of
pancreatic cancer, such as family history, smoking, obesity, diabetes, Lynch
syndrome or genetic disorders, and Helicobacter pylori infection or bacterial
infection. Apart from those mentioned, age can also have an influence as
explained earlier.
What are the Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer?
Pancreatic cancer symptoms often do not appear in the early stages.
However, the symptoms will start to appear when the cancer is already in an
advanced stage or has spread to other organs.
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer, in general, can be known to
include, among others, experiencing pain in the upper abdomen, which begins to
spread to the back, experiencing unstable weight loss, experiencing nausea and
vomiting, experiencing changes in bowel habits, such as diarrhea or
constipation, skin and eyes will look yellowish (jaundice), experiencing dehydration,
easily feeling tired, to experience fever.
As for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, you can do it through
physical examination, blood tests, radiology tests, and biopsy tests. Thus, as
you perform a physical examination, it will help the doctor to find signs of
pancreatic cancer, such as upper abdominal pain.
Furthermore, when you do blood tests, you can do so to check the
levels of tumor markers, which are proteins produced by cancer cells. Increased
levels of tumor markers can be a sign of this cancer.
And radiology examinations, you can do to see images of the organs
in your body including the pancreas. Radiological examinations that you can do
to diagnose pancreatic cancer include ultrasound, computed tomography (CT),
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and endoscopic retrograde
cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
Not only that, but a biopsy allows you to take a sample of
pancreatic tissue for examination under a microscope. This biopsy examination
can be done by two methods, the first is by fine needle biopsy, or pancreatic
tissue samples are taken with a needle inserted through the skin. Secondly,
endoscopic biopsy, or pancreatic tissue samples are taken with an endoscope,
which is a thin tube inserted through the mouth or anus.
What is Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Like?
The actual treatment of pancreatic cancer still depends on what
stage of cancer you have, and the health condition of the patient. Pancreatic
cancer treatment in general, can be known by including, among others:
- Surgery. Surgery is the most common treatment for pancreatic
cancer. This surgery aims to remove the tumor and surrounding healthy
pancreatic tissue.
- Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to kill
cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be applied before or after surgery.
- Radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is a treatment that uses radiation to
kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy can be applied as well as chemotherapy, which
is before or after surgery.
- Performing target therapy. Targeted therapy is a treatment that
uses drugs to target cancer cells specifically. Targeted therapy can be given
as a single treatment, or together with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
How can Pancreatic Cancer be prevented?
As of now, there is no definitive way to prevent pancreatic cancer.
However, you can reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by keeping
the following things in mind. These include not smoking, maintaining an ideal
body weight, managing diabetes well, having a healthy diet, and taking time to
exercise regularly.
If you have risk factors for this cancer, you should do so
regularly, for further check-ups with your doctor, to detect pancreatic cancer
early.
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