Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms

Unfortunately, most pancreatic cancer symptoms do not become significant until the cancer has grown to a large size or spread in the body. For this reason, pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late. Erly, most symptoms of pancreatic cancer are subtle.

Early on, some patients experience subtle symptoms that are not specific to cancer. Vague abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, nausea and chronic weight loss are all possible symptoms as the cancer develops.

The types of symptoms that present and when they present is very associated with the exact location of the tumor. Tumors in the body or tail of the pancreas often have very vague, subtle or non-existant symptoms until the tumor gets very large or spreads. However, tumors in the head of the pancreas can occasionally cause more profound symptoms earlier. For example, if a tumor in the head of the pancreas is near one of the large pancreatic ducts, then pancreatic cancer symptoms such as jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin and other tissues), itching (related to the jaundice), bloating, nausea, diarrhea, and fat in the stool (pale colored stools). Many of these symptoms are related to blockage of the pancreatic ducts and/or the bile ducts which pass through the head of the pancreas and drain into the adjacent small intestine. The blockage of the bile duct causes a build-up of bile in the body which causes the jaundice and itching. The blockage also impairs normal digestion and can lead to bloating and indigestion after eating, abdominal pain, the nausea and diarrhea. The fat in the stool, called steatorrhea, and the lack of bile in the stools cause a lightening of the color of stools and changes in its smell and consistency.

Some common pancreatic cancer symptoms:

Abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back

Weight loss

Bloating, nausea and/or diarrhea

Fat in the stool

Pale-colored stools

Loss of appetite

Increased blood sugar

Jaundice and itching

Some Rare Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer

Finally, there are rare types of pancreatic cancer which secrete hormones, known generally as endocrine tumors of the pancreas. These tumors can cause similar symptoms to the more common types of pancreatic cancer but the secretion of the hormones can also cause other unique symptoms. For example, insulinomas secrete insulin and cause low blood sugar, leading to sweating, anxiety, lack of energy, fatigue, fainting, and lightheadedness. Gastrinomas secrete gastrin and can cause abdominal pain, stomach ulcers which do not heal, acid reflux and weight loss. Others can present with other symptoms due to their specific hormones they secrete (glucagon, somatostatin, VIP, etc.)