• Find a Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Give Now
  • Login
Ochsner Health
  • About Ochsner

    Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.

    Learn More

    About Ochsner

    • Mission & Vision
    • History
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Annual Report
    • Outcomes & Honors
    • News & Media
    • Alumni
    • Ochsner Health Network
    • Contact Us

    Community Outreach

    • About Community Outreach
    • Classes & Events
    • Programs
    • Community Health Needs Assessment
    • Discovery Health Sciences Academy

    Health Resources

    • All Health Resources
    • Healthy State
    • To Your Health Blog
    • Golden Opportunity
    • Ochsner Magazine
  • Patients & Visitors

    Thank you for choosing Ochsner Health for your care. We are committed to making an ongoing difference in the health of our communities.

    Learn More

    I need to…

    • Find a Doctor
    • Find a Location
    • Find a Specialty Find a Specialty or Treatment
    • Schedule an Appt. Schedule an Appointment
    • Pay a Bill

    Services & Resources

    • Patient Services
    • COVID-19 Visitor Policy
    • Billing & Financial Services
    • Insurance Information
    • Language and Translation Services
    • Share Your Story
    • Read Patient Stories

    MyOchsner

    • About MyOchsner
    • How to Use MyOchsner
    • Patient Login
    • New Patient? Sign Up
  • Specialties & Treatments

    Connect to care at Ochsner. Click on a featured specialty on the list or search for a specialty.

    All Specialties

    Featured Specialties

  • Research & Education

    Ochsner is committed to a clinically-integrated research program with the ultimate goal of improving the health and wellness of our patients and communities. And as the largest academic medical center in Louisiana, we are training the next generation of healthcare professionals to be leaders who can meet evolving healthcare challenges.

    All Research All Education

    Research

    • All Research
    • Clinical Trials
    • Clinical Research
    • Translational Research
    • Outcomes and Health Services Research
    • Nursing Research
    • Research Opportunities
    • Collaboration Resources

    Education

    • All Education
    • UQ-Ochsner Clinical School
    • Clinical Medical Education
    • Graduate Medical Education
    • Continuing Medical Education
    • Medical Library
    • Publishing Services
    • Medical Illustrations
  • Careers

    Discover Your Future At Ochsner! With unlimited growth potential, both professionally and personally, now is the time to start your future with Ochsner.

    Visit Careers

    Find the Career for You

    • Careers at Ochsner
    • Why Work Here
    • Search Jobs
    • Benefits
    • Locations

    Career Paths

    • Physicians
    • Allied Health
    • Non-Medical Professional
    • Management & Leadership
    • Technology & Innovation
    • Research, Fellowships & Residencies
    • Advanced Practice Providers
  • Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.

    Learn More

    About Ochsner

    • Mission & Vision
    • History
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Annual Report
    • Outcomes & Honors
    • News & Media
    • Alumni
    • Ochsner Health Network
    • Contact Us

    Community Outreach

    • About Community Outreach
    • Classes & Events
    • Programs
    • Community Health Needs Assessment
    • Discovery Health Sciences Academy

    Health Resources

    • All Health Resources
    • Healthy State
    • To Your Health Blog
    • Golden Opportunity
    • Ochsner Magazine
  • Thank you for choosing Ochsner Health for your care. We are committed to making an ongoing difference in the health of our communities.

    Learn More

    I need to…

    • Find a Doctor
    • Find a Location
    • Find a Specialty Find a Specialty or Treatment
    • Schedule an Appt. Schedule an Appointment
    • Pay a Bill

    Services & Resources

    • Patient Services
    • COVID-19 Visitor Policy
    • Billing & Financial Services
    • Insurance Information
    • Language and Translation Services
    • Share Your Story
    • Read Patient Stories

    MyOchsner

    • About MyOchsner
    • How to Use MyOchsner
    • Patient Login
    • New Patient? Sign Up
  • Connect to care at Ochsner. Click on a featured specialty on the list or search for a specialty.

    All Specialties

    Featured Specialties

  • Ochsner is committed to a clinically-integrated research program with the ultimate goal of improving the health and wellness of our patients and communities. And as the largest academic medical center in Louisiana, we are training the next generation of healthcare professionals to be leaders who can meet evolving healthcare challenges.

    All Research All Education

    Research

    • All Research
    • Clinical Trials
    • Clinical Research
    • Translational Research
    • Outcomes and Health Services Research
    • Nursing Research
    • Research Opportunities
    • Collaboration Resources

    Education

    • All Education
    • UQ-Ochsner Clinical School
    • Clinical Medical Education
    • Graduate Medical Education
    • Continuing Medical Education
    • Medical Library
    • Publishing Services
    • Medical Illustrations
  • Discover Your Future At Ochsner! With unlimited growth potential, both professionally and personally, now is the time to start your future with Ochsner.

    Visit Careers

    Find the Career for You

    • Careers at Ochsner
    • Why Work Here
    • Search Jobs
    • Benefits
    • Locations

    Career Paths

    • Physicians
    • Allied Health
    • Non-Medical Professional
    • Management & Leadership
    • Technology & Innovation
    • Research, Fellowships & Residencies
    • Advanced Practice Providers
    • Find a Doctor
    • Find A Location
    • Schedule An Appointment
    • Give Now
    • Patient Login
    Call: 1-866-624-7637
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Senior Woman looking serious

Cancer of the Pancreas: What to Know

Sep 29, 2021 |
By Ryan Griffin, MD
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

Beloved actor Willie Garson's recent death from pancreatic cancer has shined a national spotlight on the disease, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer that is often discovered in its advanced stage.

Former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek died from the disease in 2020. 

What is pancreatic cancer?

The pancreas is an organ that is in the mid-abdomen behind the lower portion of the stomach. It produces insulin, which helps maintain normal blood glucose levels and enzymes that aid in digestion.

Because of the vague symptoms associated with the disease and the lack of good screening tests, pancreatic cancer is not usually detected at an early stage, making management difficult. Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these options.

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that 60,430 patients will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that 48,220 will die from the disease in 2021. Cancer researchers are actively studying new ways to not only treat pancreatic cancer through early phase clinical trials, but also develop screening tests to diagnose it early. For those with pancreatic cysts or a family history of pancreatic cancer, some screening steps might help detect a problem.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer often don't occur until the disease is advanced. They may include:

  • Pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to your back
  • Loss of appetite or unintended weight loss
  • Depression
  • New-onset diabetes
  • Blood clots
  • Fatigue
  • Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
  • Chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
  • Diabetes
  • Family history of genetic syndromes that can increase cancer risk, including a BRCA2 gene mutation, Lynch syndrome, and familial atypical mole-malignant melanoma (FAMMM) syndrome
  • Family history of pancreatic cancer
  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Older age, as most people are diagnosed after age 65

Risk factors

Factors that may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer include:

A large study demonstrated that the combination of smoking, long-standing diabetes, and a poor diet increases the risk of pancreatic cancer beyond the risk of any one of these factors alone.

Prevention

While it is not known what causes pancreatic cancer, you may reduce your risk if you:

  • Stop smoking. If you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, please discuss cessation with your physician, as there are likely free or low-cost smoking cessation classes near you.
  • Maintain a healthy weight through a healthy diet that is rich in plants and vegetables.
  • Consider meeting with a genetic counselor if you have a family history of pancreatic cancer and review your family health history to determine whether you might benefit from a genetic test to understand your risk of pancreatic cancer or other cancers.

Early detection is key in the fight against cancer. Learn more and schedule your screenings at https://digital.ochsner.org/cancer-screenings/

Tags
pancreatic cancer
cancer

You may also be interested in:

Conditions & Treatment
August 9, 2022

Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Empowers Others by Giving Back

Joe Balfour, a 15-year pancreatic cancer survivor, explains why he gives back to pancreatic cancer survivors' support groups and continues to live his life each day to the fullest.
134544729 Woman Undergoing Exam
Conditions & Treatment
August 9, 2022

Understanding Cancer Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral treatment.
Gettyimages 187992318
Prevention & Wellness
August 9, 2022

What Does Your Pancreas Do?

This little gland organ is a critical part of your body, however the role of the pancreas is not widely understood by the general public.
By John Jerry Evans, MD

email envelop icon Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok Twitter Follow Ochsner Health on Twitter LinkedIn Visit Ochsner Health's LinkedIn page Instagram Follow Ochsner Health on Instagram YouTube Subscribe to Ochsner Health on YouTube Pinterest Follow Ochsner Health on Pinterest TikTok Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok

Healthy living tips newsletters, delivered to your inbox.

Sign Up

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Healthy State
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

newsletter icon

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

newsletter icon

Select the newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition
newsletter icon

Let us know where to send your newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:
To Your Health-Mental Health Monthly":
To Your Health- Skin Deep:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:
newsletter icon

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox.

Ochsner Health System
magnifying glass icon
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide