Overview

What Is Pancreatic Cancer?

Your pancreas is the abdominal gland that makes digestive enzymes and insulin for digestion. Pancreatic cancer develops in the cells of your pancreas; it forms when cells in the pancreas change and multiply abnormally, becoming tumors. This cancer can interfere with how a pancreas works, and it may spread to nearby organs. This process is called metastasis.

Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 7% of all cancer deaths. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer vary based on the type of cancer.

Types of Pancreatic Cancer

• Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas: The most common pancreatic cancer, occurring in the lining of the pancreatic duct.
• Adenosquamous carcinoma: A rare form of pancreatic cancer that affects both the squamous cells, which form the lining of the digestive tract, and gland-like cells.
• Squamous cell carcinoma: A rare form of pancreatic cancer that is characterized by abnormal squamous cell growth.
• Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors/islet cell carcinoma (several types):
• Nonfunctional: These types of tumors usually do not cause symptoms (asymptomatic) and are discovered on imaging. Most islet cell carcinoma tumors are nonfunctional.
• Gastrinoma: Cancer that forms in the cells that produce gastrin, a hormone that helps digest food.
• Insulinoma: Cancer that forms in the cells that produce insulin, which controls how much glucose is in the bloodstream.
• Glucagonoma: Cancer in the cells that produce glucagon, which increases how much glucose is in the bloodstream.
• VIPomas, somatostatinomas and others: These types of cancer are in the cells that produce hormones that control the balance of water, sugar and salt in your body. They are often grouped together because they are treated in mostly the same way.