Pancreatic cancer is known as the 'silent killer' so deadly because it causes few symptoms until the disease is advanced.
During the early stages of the disease, symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be vague and only show up with the cancer grows, according to Cancer Research UK.
Pancreatic cancer is deadly and can be very difficult to treat, with only around one in four people surviving one year or more after diagnosis.
It comes after a dad whose skin turned yellow was given the heartbreaking news that he was suffering from the 'silent killer' just days before it became inoperable.
Shaun Walsh, from Huyton, 48, started suffering from nausea, weight loss and lack of energy before he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Recent research found that patients are diagnosed with cancer in A&E - sometimes after repeated trips to their GP - in the UK than any other high-income country in the world.
The study from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP), working with Cancer Research UK, found that people who ended up in A&E are less likely to survive their disease, particularly if they have stomach, bowel, liver, pancreatic, lung or ovarian cancer.
When it came to pancreatic cancer, 46% of people were diagnosed in an emergency overall, but the figure was much higher, at 56%, in England and Wales, and was 59% in Scotland.
Here are symptoms and signs of pancreatic cancer that everyone should be aware of...
Common pancreatic cancer symptoms
According to Cancer Research UK, the symptoms vary depending on where the cancer is in the pancreas (in the head, body or tail of the pancreas).
Pain in the stomach area or back
Almost 7 out of 10 people with pancreatic cancer go to their doctors because they have pain, according to Cancer Research UK.
The pain often starts in the stomach and can spread around to the back, and people often describe it as 'dull.
The pain is worse when you lie down and is better if you sit forward. It can be worse after meals.
Some people may only have back pain. This is often felt in the middle of the back, and is persistent.
Jaundice
Many people with pancreatic cancer have jaundice when they first go to their doctors.
Jaundice is yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. The pee (urine) is darker than normal and poo (stools or bowel motions) may be lighter in colour.
Jaundice is more common with cancer of the head of the pancreas because the tumour blocks the bile duct. This tube carries bile into the small bowel (duodenum). If it is blocked the bile ends up in your bloodstream. You pass it out in your urine (making it look dark) rather than through the bowel (so your stools looks lighter).
Bile contains a lot of yellow pigments so it turns the skin yellow. This may be less noticeable in black or brown skin. It is often easier to spot in the whites of the eyes rather than the skin.
Jaundice is a common symptom of many liver and gallbladder diseases.
Weight loss
People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer might have recently lost a lot of weight for no apparent reason.
Unusual pancreatic cancer symptoms
According to Cancer Research UK, other signs or symptoms might happen before the cancer is diagnosed or might happen later. Not everyone has every symptom.
Diabetes
Some people diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas are found to be newly diabetic.
If you have diabetes you are not producing enough insulin, so there is too much sugar in your blood. The sugar passes out of the body in the urine and takes some water with it.
This causes:
- thirst
- passing a lot of urine
- weakness
- weight loss and hunger
Itching
You might have itching if you have bad jaundice. The increased bile salts in the bloodstream cause itching in the skin.
Sickness
You may feel or be sick because you have jaundice or an inflamed pancreas. Both these conditions upset the delicate chemical balance of the body.
You might also be sick if the cancer, or inflammation around it, starts to block food from passing out of the stomach and into the first part of the bowel. Due to sickness, you might have a loss of appetite which can cause weight loss.
Bowel changes
If your pancreatic duct blocks, you might develop a symptom called steatorrhoea. This means fatty stools (poo).
You may pass frequent, large bowel motions that are pale coloured and smelly, and are difficult to flush away. These bowel disturbances can mean that you are not absorbing your food properly. This can also cause weight loss.
Fever and shivering
You might have a temperature from time to time because you have jaundice or an inflamed pancreas. When your temperature is high you may feel cold and shivery.
Indigestion
Indigestion causes heartburn, bloating and sickness. It is a common problem in the general population, and for most people it isn't a sign of cancer.
If it is persistent or isn't getting better with medicines, you should go back to see your doctor.
Blood clots
Occasionally, pancreatic cancer is linked to blood clots. They may form in the deep veins in the legs for example, or in smaller veins anywhere on the body. Sometimes the clots will disappear and then develop somewhere else in the body.
See your doctor straight away if you have these symptoms:
- pain, redness and swelling around the area where the clot is
- the area around the clot might feel warm to touch
It comes as scientists may be able to detect pancreatic cancer by looking at microorganisms in stool samples, according to new research.
The study, part-funded by Worldwide Cancer Research, found that 27 microbial species in stool samples could pinpoint people at high risk of the most common form of pancreatic cancer, raising hopes of a new screening test.
Dr Chris MacDonald, head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “Back pain, indigestion, weight loss, changes to poo are all common symptoms in pancreatic cancer and of much less serious health conditions, and this is a key factor in why 80% of people with pancreatic cancer are currently diagnosed at an advanced stage.
“We desperately need an early detection tool capable of helping GPs diagnose thousands more people at early symptomatic stage in time for lifesaving treatment.”
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