Pancreatic cancer often has a high mortality rate because it’s seldom detected at its early stages when it’s most curable. Many of the symptoms it causes don’t become noticeable until after cancer has spread to other organs so if you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, it’s important for your family and your parent’s elder care providers to know the symptoms and not ignore anything that might be a sign of pancreatic cancer.
The pancreas is an organ that is located behind the lower part of the stomach. About the size of a hand, the pancreas makes pancreatic juices called enzymes. The enzymes break down sugars, fats, and starches. The pancreas also assists the digestive system by making hormones that are chemical messengers that travel through the blood. Pancreatic hormones help regulate blood sugar levels and appetite, stimulate stomach acids, and tell the stomach when to empty.
Both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors can occur in the pancreas. The most common type of cancer that forms in the pancreas starts in the cells that line the ducts that carry digestive enzymes out of the pancreas.
These are the signs that you, your elderly loved one, and the elder care team should watch for and report if noticed so that your parent can get examined as soon as possible.
- Abdominal pain that radiates to the back
- Loss of appetite or unintended weight loss
- Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
- Light-colored stools
- Dark-colored urine
- Itchy skin
- New diagnosis of diabetes or existing diabetes that’s becoming more difficult to control
- Blood clots
- Fatigue
Many of these symptoms can be linked to other health conditions but a combination of them or having a health history or some of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer may indicate that the pancreas has developed a cancerous tumor. Your loved one’s elder care provider can be a good resource for any new conditions that your parent may be experiencing but isn’t willing to share with family members. Often, symptoms in the elderly can be going on for months or years because of the fear of discussing them or feeling like they’re just being a burden.
As cancer continues to grow and progress, some of the symptoms listed above can cause some serious complications, such as:
Weight loss – Weight loss might happen as cancer consumes the body’s energy. Nausea and vomiting caused by a tumor pressing on the stomach may make it difficult to eat. Your parent’s body might begin to struggle with processing nutrients from food because the pancreas isn’t making enough digestive juices.
Jaundice – When pancreatic cancer causes the liver’s bile duct to get blocked, it can lead to jaundice. Jaundice symptoms include yellow skin and eyes, dark-colored urine, and pale-colored stools.
Pain – A tumor pressing on nerves in your abdomen can cause severe pain.
Bowel obstruction – Pancreatic cancer that grows into the first part of the small intestine can block the flow of digested food from your stomach into your intestines.
If pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, having a team of elder care providers to help your parent as he goes through treatment will benefit both him and yourself.