1. Pancreatic Cancer Slideshow Pictures
2. Pancreas Medical Anatomy Image Collection
3. Cancer-Fighting Foods Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Francis W. Nugent, MD

Francis W. Nugent, MD

Dr. F.W. Nugent is a medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers with a special interest in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Nugent graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelors degree in religion before graduating from Albany Medical College. He presently serves as vice-chairman of medical oncology at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts.

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Medical Author:

Keith E. Stuart, MD

Keith E. Stuart, MD

Dr. Keith E. Stuart is a medical oncologist specializing in the study and treatment of cancers involving the gastrointestinal tract, with a special interest in tumors involving the liver. He was educated at Harvard University (graduating magna cum laude) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine and did his medical training at the New England Deaconess Hospital.

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Medical Editor:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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In this Article

• Pancreatic cancer facts
• What is the pancreas, and what is the function of the pancreas?
• What is cancer?
• What is pancreatic cancer?
• What are pancreatic cancer causes and risk factors?
• What are the symptoms and signs of pancreatic cancer?
• How is the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer made?
• How is pancreatic cancer staged?
• What is the treatment for resectable pancreatic cancer?
• What is the treatment for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer?
• What is the treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer?
• What are side effects of pancreatic cancer treatment?
• What is the prognosis of pancreatic cancer?
• What research is being done on pancreatic cancer?
• Is complimentary or alternative therapy effective in pancreatic cancer treatment?
• Can pancreatic cancer be prevented?
• Where can people get support when coping with pancreatic cancer?
• Where can people find additional information about pancreatic cancer?
• Pancreatic Cancer - Slideshow
• Pictures of Pancreas - Image Collection
• Cancer-Fighting Foods - Slideshow
• Patient Comments: Pancreatic Cancer - Effective Treatments
• Patient Comments: Pancreatic Cancer - Causes
• Patient Comments: Pancreatic Cancer - Prognosis
• Find a local Oncologist in your town
• Pancreatic Cancer Index

Doctors and researchers all over the world are hard at work developing better treatments for pancreatic cancer. Cooperative research led by centers of excellence in this country and many others continue daily to test new surgical techniques, radiation strategies, chemotherapy agents, and alternative therapies in an effort to improve care. Given the slow progress experienced over the last quarter century, many doctors feel that every eligible patient with pancreatic cancer should be offered enrollment in a research trial. For a complete list of clinical trials in pancreatic cancer treatment, please check online at http://www.cancer.gov.

Complimentary or alternative medicine is of unclear benefit in pancreatic cancer treatment. No specific complimentary or alternative therapy has been proven beneficial, but many adjunctive treatments have been tried. Compounds such as circumin, the principle ingredient in turmeric, have shown efficacy in nonhuman research and are being tested in clinical trials in pancreatic cancer. Given the modest benefit derived from chemotherapy and radiation in this disease, alternative approaches in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in conjunction with (rather than instead of) standard treatment is warranted.

At this time there is no known surveillance strategy to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer for the general population. With only 40,000 new diagnoses a year occurring in a country with over 300 million people, screening blood tests or X-rays have never been proven to be cost effective or beneficial. Additionally, doctors do not routinely screen individuals with family members diagnosed with the disease aside from the rare instance where a known genetic risk factor is present.