What is pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer affects men and women equally with incidence increasing from the age of 45. The average age at diagnosis is 75.

There are two main types of pancreatic cancer. Tumours that affect the exocrine glands, and ones that affect the endocrine glands.

The pancreas has two main jobs in the body;

• It contains exocrine glands which create enzymes which help to digest food
• It contains endocrine glands which create hormones such as insulin and glucagon, which control blood sugars.

There are therefore two main types of pancreatic cancer. Tumours that affect the exocrine glands, and ones that affect the endocrine glands.

Exocrine tumours

Exocrine tumours make up most of all pancreatic cancers. The most common type of exocrine tumour is called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and comes from cells that line the ducts in pancreas that carry digestive juices into the intestine. There are other rarer kinds of exocrine tumours of the pancreas including Aden squamous carcinomas and undifferentiated carcinomas.

Neuroendocrine tumours

Neuroendocrine tumours (also called endocrine tumours) are less common and occur in the cells that produce hormones such as insulin. Some of these tumours produce hormones and are called functional tumours. They may not always be cancerous but can cause symptoms due to excessive hormone production or the effects of the tumour displacing or pushing on the surrounding tissues.  Non-functional tumours do not produce any hormones but are more likely to be cancerous.

The information provided by Pancreatic Cancer Action focuses on the most common type of pancreatic cancer- pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

To read more about neuroendocrine tumours, click here,