There are some people who have chronic “stomach pains”, but stomach examinations never reveal any problems. Instead, they are finally found to have pancreatic cancer. How does this happen? The pancreas is the second largest digestive gland in the body and one of the most important secretory glands in the entire digestive tract, with dual functions of internal and external secretion. The endocrine function of the pancreas is achieved through the secretion of various hormones such as insulin, glucagon and growth inhibitory hormone by the pancreas islets, which are involved in growth regulation and material metabolism of the human body, the most well-known role is to regulate blood sugar. Pancreatic juice is the product of pancreatic exocrine secretion, produced by the pancreatic alveoli and ductal system together. The normal human body secretes 1-2 liters of pancreatic juice daily, which contains a large amount of digestive enzymes and alkaline fluid, and plays a leading role in the digestion of food! Therefore, once there is a problem with the pancreas, it often manifests itself as digestive dysfunction, especially stomach discomfort. The average age of pancreatic cancer is 63 years old, slightly higher in men than in women. Generally, there are very few people under 40 years old who suffer from pancreatic cancer, but recent statistics show that there is a significant increase in the number of young pancreatic cancer patients compared to 10 years ago, and the malignancy is higher and the prognosis is worse. Statistics of our surgery show that the 5-year survival rate of patients is around 5%. You should be alerted when these symptoms appear! The low rate of early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer seriously affects the prognosis of patients. About 90% of pancreatic cancer is already in advanced stage when it is found. Early detection and early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is very difficult. This is related to the special location of the pancreas and the fact that there are many organs adjacent to it. Many patients may mistake it as a disease of the stomach, gallbladder or liver in the early stage, leading to a missed diagnosis. The appearance of clinical symptoms of pancreatic cancer mainly depends on the location of the tumor in the pancreas. Pancreatic tumors are usually found in the head of pancreas. Abdominal pain, wasting and jaundice are the three most common symptoms of pancreatic head cancer. When the typical clinical symptoms appear, it is often near the advanced stage. Specifically, when patients over 40 years old have no obvious cause, the following conditions should be highly valued. 1.Uncertainly unexplained stuffy and distended discomfort in the upper abdomen, with wide range, deeper location, vague nature, not easy to describe and accurately locate, related to diet to a certain extent, and with progressive aggravation of symptoms. 2.Persistent abdominal pain and low back pain related to body position. 3.No clear reason for significant weight loss in a short period of time. 4. Those who have no history of obesity, no family history of diabetes, who have suddenly appeared recently or whose existing diabetes suddenly worsens. The incidence of pancreatic cancer is significantly higher in areas with a high incidence of pancreatic cancer than in other areas, such as those with a preference for pickled and roasted foods, and a long-term high-fat and high-animal protein diet. Other factors such as meat and high calorie diet, especially high in carbohydrates, dairy products and marine foods are also relevant. In contrast, people with a diet high in fiber, fruits and fresh vegetables have less pancreatic cancer. Long-term smoking; drinking strong alcohol; history of chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, chronic cholecystitis, gallstone disease; long-term exposure to toxic substances are all people at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer. In addition, overweight, family history of tumor, and repeated episodes of pancreatitis are also risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Occupations associated with pancreatic cancer are jobs that involve contact with chemicals and metals. Some researchers believe that men who work in factories associated with beta-naphthylamine and benzene have a high risk of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer and diabetes A significant correlation between pancreatic cancer and diabetes has been found based on clinical epidemiological studies. The incidence of pancreatic cancer among diabetic patients is significantly higher than in the general population by up to seven times, while up to 80% of pancreatic cancer patients have a combination of abnormal glucose tolerance and 30%-40% of patients have a combination of diabetes. Patients with new-onset diabetes mellitus of less than 2 years’ duration should be alerted to the possibility that diabetes mellitus may be an early sign of pancreatic cancer development. In recent years, it has been found that diabetes often strikes months before pancreatic cancer is confirmed, a finding that may alert physicians to consider the possibility of early pancreatic cancer in middle-aged patients without a family history of diabetes.