Two New Symptoms That Could Point to Pancreatic Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers person identified 2 antecedently unrecognized symptoms of pancreatic cancer -- a find that mightiness assistance with earlier detection and amended highly debased endurance numbers, they say.

"When pancreatic crab is diagnosed earlier, patients person a higher accidental of survival. It is imaginable to diagnose patients erstwhile they sojourn their GP, but some patients and GPs request to beryllium alert of the symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer," said survey writer Weiqi Liao, a information idiosyncratic astatine Britain's University of Oxford.

Along with confirming 21 antecedently identified signs of pancreatic cancer, the caller survey pinpoints 2 caller symptoms -- feeling thirsty and having dark urine -- associated with the deadly disease.

It besides shows that patients often person immoderate symptoms of the illness up to a twelvemonth earlier their diagnosis, and different important symptoms 3 months earlier diagnosis.

Most pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed astatine a precocious signifier and the illness has the lowest endurance numbers among each common cancers. In the United States, the five-year endurance complaint for pancreatic crab patients is astir 10%, according to the American Cancer Society.

The survey included much than 24,000 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic crab successful England betwixt 2000 and 2017.

Yellowing of the tegument (jaundice) and bleeding successful the stomach oregon intestine were the 2 superior symptoms astir associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the astir communal benignant of pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNEN), a rarer signifier of pancreatic cancer.

The 2 recently identified symptoms -- thirst and acheronian urine -- were associated with PDAC, according to the study. The results were presented virtually Monday astatine a U.K. National Cancer Research Institute meeting.

Other symptoms linked with PDAC include: problems swallowing, diarrhea, alteration successful bowel habits, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal mass, abdominal pain, value loss, constipation, abdominous successful stool, abdominal swelling, nausea, flatulence, heartburn, fever, tiredness, appetite loss, itching and back pain.

Other symptoms associated with PNEN include: diarrhea, alteration successful bowel habits, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal mass, abdominal symptom and value loss.

"These caller findings alteration america to behaviour further enactment connected knowing symptoms that could suggest pancreatic cancer. This volition assistance GPs to marque decisions astir who to notation for urgent tests, particularly erstwhile patients person respective seemingly non-specific symptoms," Liao said successful an institute quality release.

Studies presented astatine meetings are typically considered preliminary until published successful a peer-reviewed aesculapian journal.

More information

The American Cancer Society has much connected pancreatic cancer.

SOURCE: National Cancer Research Institute, quality release, Nov. 8, 2021