Stem Cell Therapies

Stem Cell Therapy

Pancreatic cancer starts from the tissues of the pancreas. The pancreas is an endocrine and exocrine organ in the abdomen. It secretes enzymes that aids digestion. In addition, the pancreas also secretes insulin that maintains the sugar level in the blood. The cancerous cells have the ability to metastasize to other parts of the body. There are different types of pancreatic cancer, but the most common one is pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent type of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer usually presents with different signs and symptoms. Some of the common signs and symptoms include discoloration of the skin ( which turns yellow ), loss of weight, pale stools, pain in the lower back, and the abdomen, dark urine, and loss of appetite. People affected by pancreatic cancer do not show any symptoms in the initial stage of cancer. Signs and symptoms that could suggest that one has pancreatic cancer do not present until the later and advanced stage of the disease. At this time, the cancerous tumor would have moved to other parts of the body. This disease is prevalent in older adults, especially those above the age of 70. Although it may occur in young adults, it’s rare for this to happen. Some of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, overweight, and obesity, metabolic disease such as diabetes mellitus, genetic diseases and so on. Doctors make this diagnosis based on the presenting symptoms of the patient, which would then be confirmed by other techniques, such as imaging test, ultrasound, computed tomography, blood tests, and tissue biopsy. It has been observed that smokers have a higher chance of developing pancreatic cancer, as compared to non-smokers. In addition, the consumption of processed food products increases the risk of developing the disease. There are different approaches to treating this disease. The doctor would choose the best treatment method based on the type of pancreatic cancer the patient has, the size of a tumor, and the stage. Some of the treatment methods include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and palliative care. Also, there has been progressing in the process of engineering stem cells that can re-activate the immune system to start fighting and killing off pancreatic cancer cells. Doctors would be able to buy the stem cells wholesale when the process is successfully completed.

 

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is usually asymptomatic in the initial stages. Patients start displaying signs and symptoms when the disease is already at the advanced stage. This is why most cases of pancreatic cancer have a poor prognosis. It’s important to note that the disease mostly occurs in older adults, particularly in people above the age of 70. Below are some of the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer;

  1. Abdominal pain: Patients do complain of abdominal pain that radiates from the abdomen to the back. Sometimes, the pain can be localized to where the tumor Pain associated with pancreatic cancer usually becomes worse at night. Patients tend to slightly bend forward to relieve the pain. Abdominal pain is the most prevalent symptom for up to 50% of all pancreatic cancer cases.
  2. Loss of weight: Patients generally tend to lose their appetite. They usually also experience the loss of the exocrine function, that would eventually result in the poor digestion of food.
  3. Jaundice: This is the yellowing of the skin and the sclera of the eyes. It might or might not be associated with pain. Patients might also present with darkened urine. This occurs when there is an obstruction of the common bile duct by the head of the pancreas.
  4. Diabetes mellitus: The pancreas has both exocrine and endocrine functions. One of the endocrine functions of the pancreas is to secrete hormones such as insulin and glucagon, cholecystokinin and so on. The insulin is responsible for the control of the blood sugar. However, in pancreatic cancer, the endocrine function of the pancreas is impaired, which would lead to endocrine diseases such as diabetes mellitus. According to data, about half of people that are affected by pancreatic cancer do already have diabetes mellitus at the time of diagnosis.
  5. Obstruction and compression: A tumor often becomes very big, and tends to compress the nearby organs and tissues. The pancreas might compress the stomach, making it difficult for the stomach to release its content, eventually leading to a sense of fullness. Constipation is also a common symptom.
  6. Other presentations: Other presentations by patients include the chronic fatigue syndrome. This is a condition in which people feel consistently tired for more than 6 months. Taking a rest does not make it better. This syndrome is common in many cancer cases. Another symptom is depression. This has been observed in about 20% cases of pancreatic carcinoma.

What Is The Cause Of Pancreatic Cancer?

The exact cause of pancreatic cancer is not known yet, however, doctors have identified some conditions that increase the risk of getting affected by the disease. Some of the factors include smoking, excess weight and so on.

What Are The Risk Factors For Pancreatic Cancer?

  1. Age: Pancreatic cancer rarely occurs in young adults, but rather prevalent in older adults, especially those above the age of 70.
  2. Gender: This disease is more prevalent in women than men.
  3. Smoking: Smoking is one of the most common risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Cigarette contains more than 64 carcinogens. These carcinogens increase the chances of developing the tumor. In addition, the longer one smokes, the higher the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
  4. Overweight and obesity: Having a high BMI, which translates to being overweight and obese increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by almost 50%.
  5. Diet: Although there is not enough evidence to back this up, it has been suggested that some certain type of food increases the risk of having pancreatic cancer. Some of them include processed meat and food product.

How Is Pancreatic Cancer Currently Treated?

Pancreatic cancer can be treated by different methods. Some of these methods include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and palliative care.

Stem Cell Therapy and Pancreatic Cancer

Scientists are looking for ways to isolate and identify the cancer stem cells that are responsible for the uncontrolled growth of the tissues. In addition, there has been progressing in the process of engineering stem cells that can re-activate the immune system to start fighting and killing off pancreatic cancer cells.

References

Kasai, K. (2016). GLI1, a master regulator of the hallmark of pancreatic cancer. Pathology International, 66(12), pp.653-660.

Rosch, J. and Keller, F. (1981). Pancreatic arteriography, transhepatic pancreatic venography, and pancreatic venous sampling in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Cancer, 47(S6), pp.1679-1684.

Theofilou, P. (2012). Psychological Aspects of Pancreatic Cancer. Pancreatic Disorders and Therapy, 02(01).

Xu, H., Zhang, Q., Gao, X. and Shang, D. (2017). One Distinctive Presentation in Radiology of Pancreatic Cancer: A Rare Case Report. Journal of Pancreatic Cancer, 3(1), pp.37-39.