57-year-old Li does not smoke or drink, only has a penchant for meat, almost every meal to eat meat, even breakfast also has to eat some pork to satisfy, is simply no meat is not happy.
Because he loves to eat meat, especially grilled meat and cured meat, Lao Li's body shape is naturally fat, and there is also a "three high" problem, but there is usually no obvious discomfort. Therefore, when there is abdominal pain and bloating and poor appetite, Lao Li only goes to the hospital for examination when he has a stomach disease.
As a result, mild diabetes and pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma were found! Found out pancreatic cancer, old Li was very surprised, even asked the doctor if he was mistaken, he did not feel particularly uncomfortable, and there was no bad habit that general cancer patients have, how did cancer suddenly come to the door?
First, pancreatic cancer develops rapidly, often caught people "off guard"
Pancreas in the human body is the second largest digestive gland, both endocrine and exocrine function, in fact, not all cancers that grow in the pancreas are called pancreatic cancer, we generally call pancreatic cancer refers to the cancer that occurs on the pancreatic duct epithelial cells, that is, pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma, accounting for almost 95% of all pancreatic cancer types.
Data show that the incidence of pancreatic cancer in China averages 7/100,000 people, and the incidence in Shanghai is as high as 15/100,000. According to statistics from the Henan Provincial Cancer Center, the incidence of pancreatic cancer in men in China has increased by an average annual rate of 1.1% in the past decade.
Pancreatin is known as the "cancer king", mainly because it has two characteristics:
1. It is difficult to diagnose and treat in the early stage
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose in the early stage, resulting in most patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage, mainly because the pancreas is located in a special position, hidden deep in the deepest part of the left upper quadrant, adjacent to the liver, gastrointestinal, gallbladder and other organs, located deep in the abdominal cavity.
When patients experience symptoms such as epigastric pain and loss of appetite, it is easy to miss the opportunity for early detection as a chronic stomach disease. In addition, there is no exact cause for the occurrence of pancreatic cancer, which makes early detection difficult.
2, the development speed is fast, easy to transfer
According to statistics, a pancreatic cancer lesion of about 2 cm, there is a 40% probability of lymphatic metastasis, once the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, 70% to 80% of patients will have liver metastases, lung metastases, peritoneal metastases, etc., the development is very rapid, and 2 cm tumors for liver cancer is still only subclinical. Therefore, once pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, it is often in the middle and advanced stages.
Bad habits or cancer "accomplices"
The occurrence of cancer is closely related to living habits, and many cancers are caused by bad habits.
Studies have found that bad living habits will increase the burden of the pancreas, such as smoking, overeating, alcoholism, long-term intake of high-fat foods, drinking coffee, etc., clinically found that people who like high-fat diets have higher blood lipid levels, easy to affect the microcirculation of the pancreas, so they are more likely to have pancreatic diseases.
1, a bad habit must be changed
Although the old Li in the opening case usually does not smoke or drink, he finally found that he suffered from pancreatic cancer, mainly because he has a bad habit and wants to prevent pancreatic cancer, this bad habit must be changed, that is, a long-term high-fat diet. If the human body consumes a large amount of high-fat food in a short period of time, the excess fat will easily block the pancreatic duct, leading to the occurrence of acute pancreatitis, and the recurrence of acute pancreatitis will increase the risk of cancer.
Processed meat is also part of a high-fat diet. A swedish study was published in the British Journal of Cancer, through which researchers found that eating 2 slices of bacon or 1 sausage a day increased the risk of pancreatic cancer by 20%. Even consuming less processed meat increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. Consuming 100 grams of processed meat per day increases the risk of pancreatic cancer by 38 percent, and if you consume 150 grams of processed meat per day, you increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 57 percent.
2. Three types of high-risk groups need to be screened in time
In addition to changing bad living habits, if you want to prevent pancreatic cancer, you should also pay attention to screening, Hong Defei, chief physician of the Department of General Surgery of Run Run Run Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University, particularly emphasized that the following 3 types of high-risk groups of pancreatic cancer need to go to the hospital immediately or regularly for examination or screening:
People with a family history of pancreatic cancer, compared with the general population, the risk of pancreatic cancer in such groups will increase significantly, so it is necessary to do a good job of genetic screening, it is best to go to the hospital regularly for examination;
People who originally have no history of diabetes suddenly checked out people with diabetes, and at this time they should be vigilant against the risk of pancreatic cancer;
People with chronic pancreatitis and patients with cystic tumors with possible pancreatic cancer lesions.
Third, be vigilant against early signals, and timely discovery can save lives
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are easily confused with other diseases, resulting in a low rate of early diagnosis, therefore, learn to distinguish the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, pay attention to distinguish from ordinary diseases, in order to reduce the probability of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, so as to achieve early diagnosis and early treatment.
1. Mid-upper abdominal fullness, discomfort and pain
This is a relatively common symptom of pancreatic cancer, but it is extremely easy to confuse with "stomach disease". Pancreatic cancer usually leads to obstruction of the bile ducts or pancreatic ducts, which affects the excretion of bile, which can lead to excessive pressure on the gallbladder and bile ducts, and patients are prone to symptoms of abdominal fullness, discomfort and pain. However, the pain caused by pancreatic cancer is different from ordinary stomach diseases, which is generally a hidden pain, and the scope of pain expands and intensifies after meals.
2. Low back pain
When pancreatic cancer affects the plexus of the abdominal cavity, the patient will have persistent pain, and because the position of the pancreas is relatively backward, so the patient generally has symptoms of low back pain, usually pain at night, lying flat, lying on the back will aggravate the symptoms of waist pain, and lying on the side or bending down can reduce pain, which is also a typical symptom of pancreatic cancer.
3. Jaundice
More than 60% of pancreatic cancer patients will have symptoms of jaundice, because pancreatic cancer will affect the excretion of bile, so when jaundice occurs, in addition to suspecting liver disease, but also be vigilant about the possibility of pancreatic cancer.
4. Weight loss
Most pancreatic cancer patients have significant symptoms of weight loss, and unlike the weight loss caused by stomach disease, pancreatic cancer patients usually experience progressive wasting.
5. Sudden diabetes
Since pancreatic cancer affects the regulation function of blood sugar, if it is a sudden diabetes, it should be vigilant against the occurrence of pancreatic cancer.
Early detection and treatment can greatly improve the survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients, at present, clinically mainly rely on epigastric enhancement CT to help diagnose pancreatic cancer, if the above symptoms occur, pancreatic enhancement CT should be done in time.
Fourth, reminder: 30% to 50% of pancreatic cancer patients are accompanied by diabetes
Studies have found that in the clinic, about 30% to 50% of pancreatic cancer patients are accompanied by diabetes, and some diabetic patients are found to have pancreatic cancer after a few years, which shows that pancreatic cancer is very closely related to diabetes. However, current medical research has not been able to determine whether diabetes causes pancreatic cancer or whether pancreatic cancer causes diabetes.
Therefore, if diabetics have these 5 types of conditions, they should be screened: no family history of diabetes; age greater than 50 years; sudden detection of diabetes and high blood sugar; no obesity symptoms; and treatment with hypoglycemic drugs and insulin is not effective.
Pancreatic cancer as the "king of cancer" has taken away the health and life of countless patients, in order to prevent pancreatic cancer, in addition to developing good living habits and eating habits in daily life, we should also pay attention to physical examination, and find abnormal symptoms must be checked in time.
Resources:
[1] "Suddenly detect diabetes and beware of pancreatic cancer". Big River Health News.2019-12-24
[2] "In the face of the "cancer king", you can only raise your hand and surrender? | World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Healthy China.2021-11-18
[3] "Smoking, alcoholism, obesity, staying up late... Pancreatic cancer is closely related to these daily habits". People's Daily News.2021-08-12
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