This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Maurie Markman, MD, President, Medicine & Science
This page was updated on July 20, 2022.
An estimated 66,440 people in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024, according to the American Cancer Society. Adults may develop pancreatic cancer at any age, but most pancreatic cancer patients are older than 65. The five-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 10 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. However, many factors affect survival, including age, overall health, cancer stage, cancer type and treatment.
At City of Hope, our multidisciplinary team of cancer experts works with each pancreatic cancer patient to develop a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan that fits his or her specific diagnosis and needs. Treatments for cancer of the pancreas may involve minimally invasive gastroenterology techniques, chemotherapy and/or interventional radiology. Typically, treatment plans depend on the type and stage of the cancer, and the patient’s personal needs and preferences.
This overview will cover the basic facts about pancreatic cancer, including:
If you believe you may be experiencing symptoms of pancreatic cancer and want to schedule an appointment for diagnostic testing, or if you’re interested in a second opinion for pancreatic cancer at City of Hope, call us or chat online with a member of our team.
The pancreas is a gland that makes enzymes to help you digest food and hormones to control your blood sugar levels. Pancreatic cancer develops when cells in the pancreas grow out of control and form a tumor.
Measuring about 6 inches long, the pancreas sits between the stomach and spine, is wide and round at one end, and comes to almost a point at the other, like the shape of a slender eggplant. Tumors may form in one of three parts of the pancreas: the head (the wide part), the body (the middle) or the tail (the narrow part). The cancer may spread to other parts of the body.
People who smoke cigarettes are about twice as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as those who have never smoked, according to the ACS. Even using smokeless tobacco increases the risk.
Other risk factors include:
"For more than two years, I returned to City of Hope every month for five to six days at a time. I received chemotherapy intravenously and took advantage of all the supportive care services City of Hope offered."
Pancreatic cancer often doesn’t cause early symptoms, but signs of the disease include:
Doctors use staging to describe the size of a tumor, its spread and location. The stage number increases based on how much the cancer has grown or spread, with 1 being the earliest cancer and 4 being the most advanced.
Most patients are diagnosed with this type of cancer after it has spread outside the pancreas, because early symptoms are rare and vague. Researchers are working to find an early detection method for pancreatic cancer. At this time, no recommended screening method exists for the general population. Some high-risk patients may undergo procedures to detect the presence of cancer.
The most common kind of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, starts in the exocrine cells of the pancreas. Exocrine cells help make and transport enzymes to digest food. About 95 percent of exocrine pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinoma, according to the ACS.
Less common types of exocrine pancreatic cancer are:
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, also called islet cell tumors, start in the endocrine (or hormone-producing) cells of the pancreas. They’re very rare, making up less than 2 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, according to the ACS.
They can be functioning, which means they make hormones, or nonfunctioning, which means they don’t make hormones. When functioning, they’re named for the hormones they make, so they may be called:
Other growths that have the possibility of becoming pancreatic cancer are:
To determine whether you have pancreatic cancer, your doctor will:
In the diagnostic process, a biopsy is used to confirm the presence of cancer. The procedure involves removing a small piece of tumor tissue for study under a microscope. A biopsy may also reveal certain factors about the cancer, such as the specific type.
After a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, patients need to discuss treatment options and goals with a care team.
Standard treatment options for pancreatic cancer include:
These treatments may be used alone or together. A patient’s options depend on the stage of pancreatic cancer and factors, including age and other health conditions.
Clinical trials are regularly testing new state-of-the-art treatments, and may be an option at any point in the cancer treatment regimen. It’s important to discuss this option with your doctors.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends that all patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer consider genetic testing, which may indicate a hereditary predisposition to cancer. Knowing whether a patient has DNA mutations may help doctors better tailor treatments. It also may encourage family members to get tested.
At City of Hope, we understand that pancreatic cancer and other malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract create unique challenges for patients, and that treatment options are very specific to each disease. That’s why each City of Hope hospital has a GI Cancer Center dedicated to diagnosing, treating and supporting the quality of life of patients with pancreatic and GI cancers. Committed to offering state-of-the-art treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer, our multidisciplinary team of board-certified medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists and supportive care clinicians work with our patients to deliver quality clinical care with a patient-centered approach. After your diagnosis, your GI Cancer Center care team will discuss your options with you and help you develop a personalized care plan tailored to your individual needs.
Because of the digestive tract’s role in processing food and waste, many patients with gastrointestinal disease have difficulty with digestive function. That’s why nutrition therapy is a key component of our GI Cancer Centers’ approach. Each center is staffed by oncology-trained dietitians who work with patients in developing a healthy, balanced and appetizing nutrition plan. If patients become malnourished, the dietitian is available to help them establish healthy lifestyle and eating habits to help improve their condition.
The GI Cancer Center teams also work closely with other supportive care clinicians to manage additional disease- and treatment-related side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. These supportive care experts may include a pain management physician, naturopathic provider, mind-body provider and spiritual support provider.
Qualified pancreatic cancer patients may enroll in carefully selected clinical trials. Your care team will discuss whether you qualify for any of our ongoing clinical trials and, if so, help you enroll.
Supportive care clinicians help cancer patients maintain their physical, emotional and spiritual wellness before, during and after cancer treatment. That’s important because cancer of the pancreas and relative treatments may cause side effects, such as a decreased ability by the body to digest and absorb nutrients, discomfort after eating and fatigue. Supportive care therapies for these patients may include:
