The pancreas is a small organ that is used to keeping a low profile and will use camouflage to hide its whereabouts even when it is sick. About 80% of the pancreatic cancer patients found in outpatient clinics are already in the middle and late stages, and only 20% of them can be removed surgically. This is because the onset of pancreatic cancer is invisible and difficult to detect in the early stage, and it is easy to confuse with other diseases, so the best treatment period is missed. Patients know that they should check their gastrointestinal system for indigestion, orthopedics for back pain, hepatobiliary clinic for yellow eyes, and diabetes for high blood sugar, but few people associate these symptoms with pancreatic cancer. Causes of morbidity The causative factors of pancreatic cancer can be said to be unclear, but with the research, there are still some tendencies, such as the percentage of pancreatic cancer occurring in people with chronic pancreatitis and diabetes is somewhat higher than the normal population. However, the relationship between diabetes and pancreatic cancer, which is the cause and which is the effect, is still controversial. It is because it is true that some patients with pancreatic cancer are manifested in the form of diabetes in the early stage. In terms of lifestyle habits and diet structure, the only thing that has gained consensus is smoking, and the risk of pancreatic cancer in smokers is more than three times that of nonsmokers. Other aspects, such as the so-called “three highs” diet, i.e. high protein, high fat and high calorie foods, can have a negative impact on the occurrence of pancreatic cancer, typical examples of which are Italian tenor singer Pavarotti and Hong Kong artist Shen Tianxia. Who are the high-risk groups At present, there is no consensus on the definition of high-risk groups for pancreatic cancer, and due to changes in the incidence of the disease in recent years, such as the trend of the younger age group, the scope of the traditionally considered high-risk groups should be expanded. The traditionally considered high-risk groups such as pancreatitis should be given high priority, but those outside these groups do not mean that they can rest easy. If you have the following conditions, you should be alert: first, lower back pain, indigestion, or even jaundice; second, abnormally high blood sugar in non-diabetic patients, or recurrent pancreatitis; third, unexplained weight loss in a short period of time. Those who have the above symptoms should go to a specialist hospital for focused examination. What are the symptoms if you have pancreatic cancer? For pancreatic cancer, the main symptom for most patients is discomfort in the upper abdomen. Some patients may experience indigestion, poor appetite, or significant weight loss for a period of time for unknown reasons. Some patients will have pain, which is related to the location of the tumor and its size. This pain may be abdominal pain or low back pain. In addition, some patients will develop jaundice, which is more commonly seen in tumors of the jugular abdomen and lower bile duct. However, it should be noted that the presence of jaundice does not mean that the tumor is advanced, and in some cases it is the jaundice that allows the tumor to be detected at an earlier stage. Among the first symptoms of pancreatic cancer, jaundice and abdominal pain are the most common, followed by emaciation, epigastric fullness, back pain, weakness and, in some cases, fever. Anatomically, the pancreas can be divided into the head, body and tail of the pancreas. The part between the head and the body of the pancreas is called the neck of the pancreas. Tumors in the head of the pancreas are more likely to develop jaundice due to biliary obstruction because of their proximity to the lower part of the common bile duct. Tumors in the tail of the body of the pancreas are close to the left side of the body and adjacent to the spleen, so jaundice rarely occurs. Therefore, the presence of jaundice should be sought early, and the absence of jaundice should not be neglected.