About
Pancreatic Cancer
Learn
about the pancreas and how cancer develops here. Scroll down
for other topics, including diagnosis, treatment, and nutrition.
The pancreas is a gland,
about six inches long, located in the abdomen. It is surrounded
by the stomach, small intestine, liver and spleen. It is shaped
like a flat pear. The wide end of the pancreas is called the head,
the middle section is the body, and the thin end is the tail.
The uncinate process is the part of the gland that bends backwards
and underneath the head of the pancreas.
The pancreas has two main
functions. One function is called the exocrine function.
This involves the production of enzymes that help in digestion.
The second function of
the pancreas is the endocrine function, which involves the production
of the two hormones insulin and glucagon. Islet cells within
the pancreas produce and secrete insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream.
These hormones work together to maintain the proper level of sugar
in the blood.
When cells in the pancreas
grow out of control, a tumor develops. In most cases of pancreatic
cancer, the cells that line the pancreatic duct are invovled.
This type of pancreatic cancer is an exocrine tumor known as adenocarcinoma.
A less common type of pancreatic tumor begins in the islet cells
of the pancreas and is known as an endocrine tumor.
Learn
More...
Types
of Exocrine Pancreatic Cancer
Types of Endocrine
Pancreatic Cancer (Islet cell)
Diagnosis
Treatment
Options
Side
Effects of Treatment
Diet and Nutrition
Pancreatitis
Understanding
Medical Terms
Hospice
Pancreatic
Cancer Specialists and Cancer Centers
Clinical
Trials
Genetics
Educational
Conferences/Meetings for Patients and Families
PanCAN's
Past Pancreatic Cancer Symposia
|
Upcoming
Pancreatic Cancer Symposia
9/12/09
Minneapolis,
MN
Check
back in
mid-July for more information
10/16/09
Los Angeles, CA
Check
back in
mid-August for more information
|
