All about Pancreatic Cancer

1. ALL ABOUT PANCREATIC CANCER The pancreas is a crucial gland located at the lower part of the stomach in the abdomen that is responsible for the secretion of enzymes, which helps in the digestive process. Usually beginning in the tissues and cells of the pancreas, pancreatic cancer is treatable in the early stages but gets very difficult in the advanced stages. However, it is rarely detected at the beginning because the symptoms at that time aren’t very prominent. Causes of Pancreatic Cancer When the mutated cells in the pancreas get out of control and start forming a tumor, it paves the way for pancreatic cancer. The exact reason for this condition has not been determined yet. There are some of the risk factors that can help you understand better: Tobacco Obesity Age • • • Old age is a concerning factor for pancreatic cancer. In fact, 90% of the patients are above 55, and 70% have crossed 65 years. Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer When cancer spreads to other parts of the body, the symptoms are: Sharp abdominal pain Jaundice Loss of appetite and sudden weight loss Dark urine Itchy skin Blood clots • • • • • • Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer 1. Surgery There are different types of surgical procedures like laparoscopy, distal pancreatectomy, whipple process, and total pancreatectomy. All these approaches are viable generally when cancer has just started spreading to other parts of the body, and only 20% of the total numbers of diagnosed cases are able to opt for this.

2. 2. Radiation Therapy High-energy X-rays and other such particles are used to destroy the cancer cells. Patients can opt for the traditional radiation method, where lower doses are given over 5 to 6 weeks. Other than that, proton beam therapy and stereotactic body radiation can also be opted for lessening the intensity of the after-effects. 3. Chemotherapy With the use of certain drugs, the cancer cells are destroyed and stopped from growing further. Not to mention, there are multiple side effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, that can be managed over time. 4. Targeted therapy Specific drugs or a combination of drugs are used to target the genes, proteins, or blood vessels of the cancer cells to destroy them. Targeted therapy has side effects as well, but most of them are related to skin conditions. Targeted drugs are better tolerated by the 5. Immunotherapy body than chemo drugs. Also referred to as biological therapy, immunotherapy is the way by which the body’s immune system is given a boost to fight cancer from within. Pancreatic Cancer Medication Erlotinib • It is prescribed to the patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Erlotinib 150 mg must be taken one hour before a meal or two hours after, i.e., in an empty stomach. Try to take the medicines at the same time every day. This drug is an EGFR inhibitor that is used to conduct targeted therapy. Gemcitabine • For metastatic pancreatic cancer, Gemcitabine is prescribed as a single-agent monotherapy or sometimes, in combination with Erlotinib. It is also given after surgery in certain cases. Gemcitabine is administered intravenously by a healthcare professional. Capecitabine •

3. Capecitabine is a common chemotherapy drug that is used for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. It is generally given in combination with Gemcitabine that is referred to as GemCap. Patients undergoing radiation treatment can also benefit from this medicine. The adult dose is 1250mg per day, and treatment continues in cycles. Usually, after a 3-weeks course, the doctor conducts a medical checkup to see the progress of the disease. Capecitabine 500 mg is taken after 30 mins of a meal with 8 ounces of water. Capecitabine price ranges from 600 INR to 7000 INR for different doses of capsules. Olaparib • Olaparib has been seen to significantly bring down the risk of disease progression in patients with pancreatic cancer. However, it is only effective in cases with an abnormally acquired or inherited gene mutation (BRCA and HRR). Specific doses are prescribed by the doctor, which has to be taken every 12 hours. Everolimus • The main objective of Everolimus is to prevent the body from rejecting transplantations in adults. It belongs to the class of kinase inhibitors and can also improve the disease progression rate in the case of advanced pancreatic cancer. The recommended dosage is Everolimus 10 mg per day until the body develops unbearable toxicity. Take it with 8 ounces of water and don’t divide doses. Streptozocin • This medicine is administered intravenously by a medical professional via a needle. It is an antineoplastic agent that has been proved to be effective also in the case of metastatic pancreatic islet cell carcinoma. Classified as an alkylating agent, Streptozocin is given as a part of the chemotherapy regimen. Paclitaxel • It is a chemo drug that is prescribed with another chemo drug called Gemcitabine. Remember that this treatment regimen is only applicable for advanced cases of pancreatic cancer. Paclitaxel 100 mg is also given to patients post-surgery. In the beginning, a 28-days treatment cycle is followed that comes with a 7 days’ rest period to let the body recover from the side effects. Mitomycin • The drug is given with other anti-cancer medications for the treatment of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. It is given as an infusion intravenously, and there

4. can be swelling at the infusion site for a few hours. The common side effects are mouth sores, drowsiness, and headache. Final Words Each of these medications has its own side effects, which can be tolerated well in most cases. However, in exceptional cases, the adverse effects become intolerable, and they lead to fatal toxicities. In that case, the medicine doses are reduced by the doctor, or the treatment is paused temporarily. So far, the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer does not look good. It is only at 9%. However, that depends on the stage in which the disease has been diagnosed, the type of treatment opted for, and also age. Survey also says that less than 2% of patients survive more than 10 years in this case. Pancreatic Cancer is a deadly disease, hence a proper treatment in time is of utmost necessity to increase the survival rates of the patients. Source:- http://ikrispharma.over-blog.com/pancreatic-cancer-and-its-treatment.html