This Morning: Dr Zoe explains symptoms of pancreatic cancer
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The best weapon against pancreatic cancer, like all forms of cancer, is to spot it early. Early intervention strengthens survival outcomes because it reduces the risk of it spreading to other parts of the body. However, “pancreatic cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot”, notes the NHS.
When symptoms do show up, they can take the form of bowel changes.
According to charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, poo that “can be difficult to flush down the toilet”, can be a telltale sign.
This is ascribed to fat in the poo, says the charity.
“It happens if pancreatic cancer has affected your digestion, so that fat in your food isn’t digested properly.”
According to the health body, poo may also be large, smell horrible and float.
Other signs include:
- The whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow (jaundice), you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Feeling tired or having no energy
- A high temperature, or feeling hot or shivery.
It is worth noting that many of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions.
Having them does not definitely mean you have pancreatic cancer. “But it’s important to get them checked by a GP,” advises the NHS.
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“This is because if they’re caused by cancer, finding it early makes it more treatable.”
The GP will typically:
- Feel your tummy
- Ask you to give a pee sample or have a blood test
- May refer you to see a specialist in hospital for more tests if they think you have a condition that needs to be investigated.
Am I at risk?
Anyone can get pancreatic cancer – it’s not always clear what causes it.
Your risk of developing cancer depends on many things including age, genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors.
But there are some factors that may increase your risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Having any of these risk factors does not mean that you will definitely develop cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is more common in older people. Cancer Research UK explains: “Almost half of all new cases are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over.”
Around 20 out of 100 cases of pancreatic cancer in the UK (around 20 percent) are caused by smoking.
Cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco have all been found to increase pancreatic cancer risk.
The best way for people who smoke to reduce their risk of cancer and improve their overall health, is to stop smoking completely.
Another unhealthy lifestyle factor that can raise your risk is obesity.
“More than 10 in 100 pancreatic cancers in the UK (more than 10 percent) are linked to being overweight or obese,” warns Cancer Research UK.
“This increase in risk could be because the pancreas makes more insulin in overweight people. But we need more research to know for sure.”
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