Irving, TX – Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer. Abnormal cells divide very rapidly to form a malignancy and the cancer cells in the pancreas can spread to other areas of the body. Experts are convinced that by 2020, pancreatic cancer may be the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer in the U.S. The current survival rate is about three to six months after diagnosis. For this reason it must be caught at the earliest of stages for it to be stoppable.

“According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 78 people will receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis during their lifetime and this number is gradually rising,” explains the oncologist. “This makes it prevalent and early detection is necessary.”

Unfortunately early detection is a little difficult because of a few factors that include:

• Location – The pancreas is located deep within the body underneath other organs. This makes it very difficult to find any tumors during a physical exam. They can’t be felt or seen and that leaves room for them to grow and spread without detection.

• Almost non-existent symptoms – Early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are hard to detect. They include fatigue, digestive problems, nausea, reduced appetite, upper abdominal pain, onset of diabetes in those over 50 years of age and yellowing of whites of the eyes and the skin. These symptoms could easily pass for other diseases and this affects diagnosis. Many times it is discovered when it has already spread to other organs.

• Screening procedures – Unlike other cancers such as breast and prostate cancers, there is no accepted or widely used screening procedure for pancreatic cancer. This renders diagnosis difficult. A lot of work is required in this area so as to come up with the appropriate screening procedures. This would be the best way to push the struggle with this condition forward.

“Individuals must therefore find out the risk factors and find out whether they fall in that bracket,” adds the oncologist. “Making the necessary changes for prevention is a good place to start as well.”

About The Sandler-Kenner Foundation

The Sandler-Kenner Foundation, established in 2007 as the Las Colinas Cancer Center Foundation, was renamed in early 2011 in the memory of Michael Sandler and Peter Kenner, both of whom passed away from pancreatic cancer, a lethal disease that is difficult to diagnose until it has reached an advanced stage.