Types of Pancreatic cancer

Types discussion:

What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas: NCI (Excerpt)

Most pancreatic cancers begin in the ducts that carry pancreatic juices. Cancer of the pancreas may be called pancreatic cancer or carcinoma of the pancreas.

A rare type of pancreatic cancer begins in the cells that make insulin and other hormones. Cancer that begins in these cells is called islet cell cancer . (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas: NCI)

What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas: NCI (Excerpt)

When cancer of the pancreas spreads (metastasizes ) outside the pancreas, cancer cells are often found in nearby lymph nodes . If the cancer has reached these nodes, it means that cancer cells may have spread to other lymph nodes or other tissues, such as the liver or lungs. Sometimes cancer of the pancreas spreads to the peritoneum , the tissue that lines the abdomen.

When cancer spreads from its original place to another part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if cancer of the pancreas spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are pancreatic cancer cells. The disease is metastatic pancreatic cancer, not liver cancer. It is treated as pancreatic cancer, not liver cancer. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas: NCI)

What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas: NCI (Excerpt)

When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, the doctor needs to know the stage , or extent, of the disease to plan the best treatment. Staging is a careful attempt to find out the size of the tumor in the pancreas, whether the cancer has spread, and if so, to what parts of the body.

The doctor may determine the stage of pancreatic cancer at the time of diagnosis, or the patient may need to have more tests. Such tests may include blood tests, a CT scan, ultrasonography, laparoscopy , or angiography . The test results will help the doctor decide which treatment is appropriate. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Pancreas: NCI)

Pancreatic cancer: Rare Types

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Pancreatic cancer: Related Disease Topics

More general medical disease topics related to Pancreatic cancer include:

• Cancer
• Digestive system cancer
• Chronic digestive diseases
• Pancreas conditions
• Abdominal Cancer

Research More About Pancreatic cancer

• Pancreatic cancer: Introduction
• Symptoms: Pancreatic cancer
• Complications: Pancreatic cancer
• Causes: Pancreatic cancer
• Treatments: Pancreatic cancer
• Deaths: Pancreatic cancer