What are the symptoms of cancer in the pancreas

Not medical advice: Pancreatic cancer is relatively painless and symptom-free as it first grows, but a very small minority of sufferers report early symptoms of sudden changes in how their favorite foods and drinks taste, a loss of appetite, and feeling full early on during a meal.

Patients with advanced stages of pancreatic cancer in the tail or body of the organ experience weight loss and back and/or belly pain. Advanced stages of cancer in the head of the pancreas generally cause enlarged neck lymph nodes, back pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, itching, light-colored stools, dark urine, jaundice (yellow skin), and weight loss.

Depending on how far the cancer has spread throughout the body, surgery along with chemotherapy and/or radiation may be recommended as treatment options.

Sadly, astronaut Sally Ride dubbed “the first American woman in space” died after a 17-month long battle with pancreatic cancer on July 23, 2012 at the age of 61. Over 37,000 of the 44,000 people diagnosed with the cancer this year will not survive it.