Symptoms
There often are no obvious symptoms until pancreatic cancer reaches advanced stages. Symptoms also may vary, based on the type of cancer and where it is found in the pancreas. As the disease progresses, symptoms may include:
Abdominal pain that radiates toward your back
Blood clots
Dark-colored urine
General fatigue
Itchy skin
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Light-colored stool
Loss of appetite
Recent diabetes diagnosis or new difficulties controlling existing diabetes
Unexplained weight loss
Advanced age
About two-thirds of patients are at least 65 years old.
Chronic pancreatitis
This chronic inflammation of the pancreas often is related to smoking and heavy alcohol use.
Diabetes
The risk, for unknown reasons, is higher for people with type 2 diabetes.
Family history of pancreatic cancer
The disease runs in some families, though most people who get it do not have a family history of pancreatic cancer.
Inherited genetic disease
Certain genetic syndromes that are passed from parent to child are responsible for about 10 percent of cases. Among these are familial pancreatitis, Lynch syndrome, and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome.
Obesity
People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more are 20 percent more likely to develop the disease.
Smoking
Tobacco use is one of the strongest risk factors and may account for a quarter of all pancreatic cancers. Smokers are twice as likely to get it compared with people who have never smoked.
