Noel Cortes

Jp Morrison.

Pancreatic Cancer

What is the name of the disorder? The disease that we are researching is Pancreatic Cancer.
It is a genetic disease that is the fifth leading cause of death in both men and woman.

What Endocrine Gland is affected? The Pancreas is affected. There are two types of tumors
that can be present with pancreatic cancer. The first one being, a benign tumor, this one is not
cancer so it is usually not life threatening. The second kind is malignant. This one is cancer and
it can be life threatening. It can spread to other parts of the body. Most pancreatic cancers
begin in the ducts that carry pancreatic juices.

What are the signs and symptoms? Pancreatic cancer symptoms can vary depending on what
part of the pancreas is affected and if it has spread. Yellowing of the skin and eyes, also known
as jaundice, can occur. Abdominal pain, which is the most common symptom, A few other
symptoms include: Weight loss, vomiting, loss of appetite, itchy skin, Diabetes, different urine
color.

How is the endocrine gland dysfunctional? Pancreatic cancer can alter the normal function of
the pancreas by: Creating a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes, bicarbonate, and bile salt,
Causing poor absorption of nutrients from food, Impairing the use of pancreatic enzymes. The
activity of pancreatic enzymes is impaired by an acidic environment, which is partly determined
by dietary intake. Each day, the exocrine tissue secretes about 2 liters of bicarbonate (a buffer)
to neutralize stomach acid in the small intestine. Reduced bicarbonate levels create an acidic
microenvironment that weakens the activity of pancreatic enzymes.

Is the disorder Caused by a tumor? Yes, exocrine tumors are by far the most common type of
pancreas cancer. When someone says that they have pancreatic cancer, they usually mean an
exocrine pancreatic cancer. Benign cysts and benign tumors called cystadenomas can occur, but
most pancreatic exocrine tumors are malignant .

Can this be caused by dietary deficiencies? Yes, although there are other risky behaviors
that can lead to pancreatic cancer. A bad diet is believed to play a role in the development of
pancreatic cancer. People with diets that are high in meats and fried foods are more likely to
develop pancreatic cancer. Also diets in sugar sweetened drinks, such as soft drinks, can also
lead to pancreatic cancer.
Noel Cortes
Jp Morrison.

Is there a genetic link? There is a genetic link with pancreatic cancer, but there are only a
small percentage of cases where the cancer can be explained by genes that are associated with
the disease. A genome-wide scan was done by researchers to try to find more potential genes
that could be associated with this cancer. It consisted of 3,851 that had pancreatic cancer and
3,934 that were healthy to have a comparison. The test resulted in finding genetic variants in 3
different chromosomes located near the CLPTM1L and TERT genes. These two genes were also
linked to brain tumors, lung cancer, and melanoma.
 
Are men and women at equal risk? Even though there are many risk factors, including:
Cigarette smoking, age, race, religion, diabetes, diet, and chronic pancreatis, gender does is also
a risk factor. Men usually have pancreatic cancer more so then women, because they are
usually thought to smoke more than women.
 
Are children at risk of this disease? The more you age, the more risk you have of getting
pancreatic cancer. Over 80 percent of the cases of this cancer have been from people over the
age of 60. So generally children are not at risk of this disease, although there have been
children diagnosed with it.
 
How is this disorder diagnosed? Jaundice is one of the symptoms of this disease. The
person's skin and eyes become more yellow because of a buildup of bilirubin in the body,
because the bile duct that this substance travels down is blocked. Compression to nearby
organs or even the spread of pancreatic cancer to the nerves can cause back pains. The pain
may be constant or come and go. This is a sign of the progression of this cancer, even though
there are many disorders or diseases that can cause back pains. No appetite, leading to weight
loss, and tiredness are other signs of progressing pancreatic cancer.  Digestive problems
resulting in the cancer blocking the release of pancreatic juices that need to be released into
the intestines is another symptom of this disease.
Noel Cortes
Jp Morrison.

Works Cited

http://us.mc638.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.gx=1&.tm=1269540380&.rand=eulf3jtu7jv0b#
_pg=compose&&.rand=1712232929&clean&hash=104655e6c073e052385a3b9622eecb01&.jsr
and=6843336

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/news/20100125/new-genetic-links-for-
pancreatic-cancer