What is Pancreatic Cancer?

Carly Roop RD, CSO, is a registered dietitian at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center (JKCC). She provides nutrition education and support to patients while addressing nutrition-related side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. Dietitians at JKCC provide educational nutrition programs that are open to patients as well as the community.

For many, the first time they heard about pancreatic cancer may have been when celebrity, Patrick Swayze or Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

What is the Pancreas?

The pancreas is an organ that is located behind the stomach, it plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into energy for the body’s cells. The pancreas actually has two main functions; the first function is to secrete enzymes to aid in the digestion of protein, fat and carbohydrates and the second function is to create and release insulin, a hormone responsible for lowering blood sugar and glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar.

This year, an estimated 43,920 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States and approximately 37,390 will die from the disease.

Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer

Risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer include:

• Family history pancreatic cancer
• Age
• Chronic or hereditary pancreatitis
• Recent-onset of diabetes
• Smoking
• Being overweight, especially in the abdomen.

The American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that being lean can prevent 19% of the pancreatic cases that occur in the United States each year. Pancreatic cancer is easily concealed; it may cause only vague symptoms that could be mistaken for many different conditions within the gastrointestinal tract. Unfortunately, there are no detection tools to diagnose the disease in its early stages when it the tumor can be surgically removed, this is one of the main reasons pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer death.

Pancreatic Cancer Treatment at Penn

At Penn, patients with pancreatic cancer are treated by a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists who see more patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers in one year than many doctors see in their careers.

The Penn Medicine SU2C Dream Team

As the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most deadly forms of cancer. More than 90 percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis. Recent advancements have had little impact, and a new approach is desperately needed.

The SU2C Dream Team at Penn is actively researching better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat pancreatic cancer. Together, members of the Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team working to translate scientific breakthroughs into new treatment options faster than ever before. Their research focuses on developing tests using advanced imaging technology to understand pancreatic cancer cells and developing new, personalized pancreatic cancer treatments based on their research.

Learn more about pancreatic cancer treatment at Penn.