Pancreatic Cancer Evades Early Detection

There is a reason that some cancers have a high death toll. While some manifest themselves in very noticeable ways such as skin cancer which can be detected topically. Other forms of cancer such as thyroid or throat cancer have distinct calling cards like pain and inflammation or the presence of blood in the saliva which leads to further investigation, prompting an early detection (in best case scenarios) of the cancer before it has the opportunity to metastasize. In the United States of America more than 40,000 individuals die of pancreatic cancer symptoms each year making this cancer one of the most prolific cancers with the highest morbidity rates.

Unfortunately there are other types of cancers which show few signs at all. There are no overt symptoms that can be pinpointed at the early stage and no "red flags" that might prompt a more in depth investigation. Another name for Cancer is "the silent killer" which refers to specific types of cancer that should no signs, offer no opportunity for early detection or manifest as a myriad of other more common and less concerning symptoms, masking themselves as a regular chronic condition rather than a life threatening one.

Pancreatic cancer symptoms are classified as one of the "silent killers" and it is a cancer that is rarely detected until at least stage two or stage three, at which time it is almost assuredly fatal to the patient. No one clearly understands the causes of pancreatic cancer symptoms but it was believed for some time that Diabetes and the additional strain placed on the pancreas by the onset of Type I or Type II diabetes lead to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Clinical studies have shown a link between Diabetes and Pancreatic cancer symptoms but it is not yet known which condition is the precipitating factor for the other. Does one condition cause the other in a chain reaction? Or is there a third condition that must exist that both causes diabetes and leads to pancreatic cancer symptoms? Researches continue to investigate.

What is known is that pancreatic cancer symptoms are highly prevalent among aging populations and in Afro-American and Jewish populations where the BRCA2 gene is inherited. Chronic instances of pancreatitis also lead to pancreatic cancer symptoms as repeated exposure of acidic conditions in the pancreas increase the cell mutation rate of pre-cancerous cells over time. Chronic inflammation of any organ is known to increase the cancer risk in that area by at least 30% according to researchers. Studies have also show that pancreatic cancer occurs with a higher rate of instance in smoking populations.

With all the advanced technology available in modern medicine there remains no definitive screening process for this cancer. No way to find it until advanced stages when recovery is all but impossible for the patient. Until Science solves the problem of detecting cancer in the body in any location at any stage of development, millions of lives each year will be lost to the battle against cancer, mankind's "silent killer".