Characteristics of pain caused by pancreatic cancer

Pain caused by pancreatic cancer can be manifested as vague pain, dull pain, distending pain in early stage, and persistent severe abdominal pain in middle and late stage, and the pain is obvious at night, which seriously affects sleep and diet. Pain is often the first symptom of pancreatic cancer. Early stage of pancreatic cancer can be due to the compression of pancreatic duct by the mass, which increases the pressure of pancreatic duct, and then epigastric discomfort or pain occurs, including vague pain, dull pain, distending pain, most of them are radiating to the lumbar and back, and aggravated by lying down and at night, and the pain can be alleviated by sitting, standing, leaning forward, or walking around. In the middle and late stages, the tumor invades the abdominal plexus, resulting in persistent severe abdominal pain, which prevents the patient from lying down, and the patient often sits in a curled-up position, which seriously affects the sleep and diet. The site of abdominal pain is poorly localized and wide-ranging, and the typical sites are the middle-upper abdomen and the left quartal ribs, which may radiate to the dorsum, the forehead, and the right scapula. The pain is more intense, and some patients need to use opioid analgesics. Pancreatic cancer must be detected, diagnosed and treated early in order to get good therapeutic effect, otherwise the prognosis is poor.