| | Cancer of the pancreas is the 11th most common cancer among U.S. residents. This year, 28,300 people will be diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and 28,200 will die from the disease, making it the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths (2 percent to 3 percent of all cancer deaths in this country). Because pancreatic cancer usually produces no symptoms in its early stages, diagnosis is difficult and treatment does not often begin in the early stages of the disease. Almost half of patients with pancreatic cancer present with metastatic disease at diagnosis, or cancer that has spread beyond its original site.
The pancreas is a gland located in the upper middle of the abdomen where it is surrounded by the stomach, duodenum (small intestine), spleen and liver. Shaped somewhat like an elongated fish, wide at one end and narrow at the other, it is about 6 inches long and 2 inches wide, with three sections: the head, the body and the tail.
Glands in the human body are of two types: exocrine, meaning they secrete hormones and enzymes through a canal or duct at the surface of an organ rather than into the bloodstream; and endocrine, meaning they secrete material directly into the bloodstream. Most of the cells in the pancreas are exocrine glands that produce pancreatic juice containing enzymes that digest fat and proteins. Less than 5 percent of the cells in the pancreas are endocrine. These cells are found in small groups called islets, and help control the level of sugar in the blood by releasing insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. Because the pancreas contains more islet cells than are needed, surgical removal of half of the pancreas usually still allows production of all the insulin the body needs to function.
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