The life span for the patient diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is usually short and ranges from 6 months to 5 years. This is because, usually, this type of tumor is only discovered at an advanced stage of the disease, in which the tumor is already very large or has already spread to other organs and tissues.
If there is an early detection of pancreatic cancer, a very unusual fact, the patient's survival is longer and, in rare cases, the disease can be cured.
How to identify cancer early
Pancreatic cancer is usually identified early when an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen is performed, for any other reason, and it is clear the organ is compromised, or when abdominal surgery is performed close to this organ and the doctor can see any changes.
How the treatment is done
According to the degree of pancreatic cancer staging, doctors may recommend surgery, radio and / or chemotherapy. Very serious cases are not addressed in this way and the patient receives only palliative treatment, which only helps to reduce unpleasant symptoms, improving the quality of life.
During this period it is also recommended to have a healthy life and enjoy your time with family and friends. At this stage the person can also decide some legal procedures, and it is not possible to donate blood or organs, because this type of cancer has a high risk of developing metastases and, therefore, this type of donation would not be safe for those who would receive the tissues..
Can pancreatic cancer be cured?
In most cases, pancreatic cancer has no cure, as it is identified at a very advanced stage, when several parts of the body are already affected, which reduces the effect of the treatment.
Thus, to improve the chances of a cure, it is necessary to identify the cancer at an early stage, when it is still affecting only a small part of the pancreas. In these cases, surgery is usually done to remove the affected part of the organs and then treatment with chemotherapy or radiation is done to remove the tumor cells that were left in place.
See what symptoms of pancreatic cancer and how to treat.
