Pancreatic Cancer, the 'Silent' Disease
- Longtime TV personality Jerry Springer, 79, passed away after a brief battle with cancer, leaving many wondering why he died so suddenly from the disease.
- Pancreatic cancer affects your pancreas when cancer cells grow out of control forming a tumor, according to the American Cancer Society.
- Early-stage pancreatic cancer tumors don't appear on imaging scans, and people typically don’t experience symptoms until the disease has progressed.
- This means people with pancreatic cancer are typically not diagnosed until it has already spread (or metastasized) to other parts of the body.
- The pancreas' location in the abdomen makes it harder to find tumors.
- Endoscopic ultrasound and MRI tests can be performed if you are at high risk of pancreatic cancer, meaning you have a family history or have an inherited genetic syndrome.
After longtime TV personality Jerry Springer, 79, passed away after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, many are wondering why he died so suddenly from the disease. Well, there’s a sad truth about pancreatic cancer, which is known as the “silent” disease. Here’s what to know.
"He hasn't been sick for a long time," Springer's friend Rabbi Kopnick told People magazine.
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Springer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer "just months ago," U.K.-based news outlet, The Mirror reports.
"Take care of yourself and each other." – Jerry Springer
In loving memory, 1944 – 2023 pic.twitter.com/drqrIaeA0z
Jerry Springer Show (@SpringerTV) April 27, 2023
TMZ reports Springer and his family kept his cancer diagnosis private despite his health gradually worsening.
Pancreatic cancer affects your pancreas when cancer cells grow out of control forming a tumor, according to the American Cancer Society. The pancreas releases enzymes that help digestion and process hormones that manage your blood sugar, Mayo Clinic explains.
The American Cancer Society says pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the most common type of pancreatic cancer. It makes up approximately 3% of all cancers in the United States, the Cleveland Clinic says.
Why Did Pancreatic Cancer Impact Jerry Springer So Quickly?
Pancreatic cancer is often called a “silent” disease, according to UCLA Health. That’s because it usually takes a while before people experience symptoms. So when they do start recognizing symptoms, the disease has likely already progressed into an advanced stage.
Plus, the Cleveland Clinic explains that early-stage pancreatic cancer tumors don't appear on imaging scans. And there are no recommended screening routines for this type of cancer.
So with those unfortunate realities, many people learn they have pancreatic cancer once it's already spread (or metastasized) to other parts of the body.
"Catching this type of cancer early isn't easy," Drs. Elizabeth Ko and Even Glazier at UCLA Health said in an article on the facility’s website.
"Pancreatic tumors are impossible to see or feel during a routine medical exam" Ko and Glazier explained.
The pancreas' location in the abdomen complicates the problem. It's tucked into the "upper curve of the small intestine…and the spleen. It's because of this location, surrounded and obscured by internal organs, that pancreatic tumors are impossible to see," Ko and Glazier continued.
Doctors diagnose pancreatic cancer after "a series of imaging scans, blood tests, and a biopsy," which are often done after you start experiencing symptoms, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Those symptoms may include unintentional weight loss, stomach pain, and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin. Peiople may also experience fatigue, loss of appetite, or light-colored stool.
And treatment options for pancreatic cancer, according to Cancer.net, include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
The American Cancer Society says, "No screening test has been shown to lower the risk of dying from this cancer," but there is hope for people at increased risk.
Meanwhile, clinical trials can be an option for pancreatic cancer patients, as they provide access to potentially life-changing drugs and therapies that researchers are testing. It’s like getting "tomorrow's medicine," today.
For help finding a clinical trial that may be right for you, visit our easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder.
WATCH: MD Anderson's Pancreatic Cancer Moot Shot.
Without Adequate Pancreatic Screening, What Can People Do?
Genetic testing is recommended for people who are at increased risk, according to the American Cancer Society.
People with a family history of pancreatic cancer from a close relative fall into the high-risk category and should discuss screening options with their doctor. If you have an inherited cancer syndrome or genetic cancer syndrome, then you are also at high-risk.
Some tests can be performed if you are at high-risk, and they are an endoscopic ultrasound or an MRI scan.
Other pancreatic cancer risk factors include things you can change and others you're born with. The American Cancer Society lists common risk factors as:
- Age: Most pancreatic cancer patients are older than 45.
- Gender: Men are more likely to get pancreatic cancer than women.
- Race: African Americans are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
- Family History.
- Inherited genetic syndromes.
- Tobacco use
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Exposure to certain chemicals commonly used in dry cleaning and metal industries
More on pancreatic cancer
- ‘Sex And The City’ Co-Stars Lovingly Remember Willie Garson, Who Played ‘Stanford,’ Taken By Pancreatic Cancer At Just 57-Years-Old
- ‘Star Trek’ Legend Jonathan Frakes, 69, Opens About His Brother’s Brave Battle with Pancreatic Cancer
- ‘I Miss You Dad,’ Says Nicky Trebek, Remembering Her Late Dad Alex Trebek Who Died of Pancreatic Cancer, and the Support He Received
- ‘Dirty Dancing’ Heartthrob Patrick Swayze Would Have Turned 70 This Week: How His ‘Very Helpful’ Pancreatic Cancer Legacy Endures
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