Current methods of treatment & prevention of pancreatic cancer

The article was professionally consulted by doctors of Internal Oncology - Radiation Oncology Center - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.

Because pancreatic cancer in the early stages has almost no clinical symptoms and there is still no effective screening method, most of the time when detected, the disease is already at an advanced stage. Up to 40~50% of confirmed cases have distant metastases, and even if the disease has not metastasized, the 5-year survival prognosis for patients does not exceed 5%.

"At the moment we still can't be sure what the exact cause of pancreatic cancer is, but in terms of factors that can lead to pancreatic cancer, the factor that accounts for the highest rate: smoking. leaves; patients over 45 years old,..'' Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Tuyet Mai said.
In addition, other increasing factors are as follows:
Patient has a history of bladder cancer, lung cancer or oropharyngeal cancer; Long-term diabetic patients People with an unreasonable diet use fatty foods. Recently, the proportion of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on the background of chronic pancreatitis also tends to increase. Among patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, about 5 ~ 10% have genetic factors; and the prevalence rate of people with a family history of pancreatic K is ~7.8%, while this rate in people without family history is only 0.6%.

In terms of symptoms, the disease also has no specific clinical symptoms, depending on the location, size of the tumor and the degree of metastasis, the disease has different clinical manifestations, but most patients Pancreatic cancer has the following symptoms:
Weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice, poor appetite... In the early stages, most patients with pancreatic cancer have a clinical manifestation of jaundice, and body cancer cases. Pancreatic and pancreatic tail cancers in the early stages often have no obvious clinical manifestations. Other clinical symptoms: black stools, mucus stools, abdominal pain after eating, vomiting, nausea... Newly diagnosed patients with diabetes or already have diabetes but worsening is also one of the symptoms. Warning signs of pancreatic cancer.

The most effective treatment for pancreatic cancer is complete surgical resection, however, only about 20~25% of cases are operable. In fact, the operable cases mainly fall into the cases of patients with pancreatic cancer with clinical symptoms that are evident in the early stages of jaundice.
Chemotherapy is used in cases of postoperative treatment or treatment of advanced disease. However, the effectiveness of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer is not high compared to other types of cancer. Recently, Keytruda immunotherapy for MSI-H-positive patients is being reported to be effective, this method has also been and is being carried out at Vinmec.
Radiation therapy is often used to treat symptoms in cases of advanced disease, or in combination with adjuvant chemotherapy to treat patients after surgery. Currently, Vinmec has been bringing the most advanced radiation technique SBRT into the treatment of cancer patients. Professors and specialists at Vinmec, through consultation with the Oncology Board, always try to find the best, most effective, and most suitable treatment for the patient.

Up to now, there is no standard recommendation or clear prevention principle for the prevention of pancreatic cancer, but based on the high risk factors that can lead to cancer above. , Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Tuyet Mai has suggested some prevention methods as follows:
No smoking: smokers have a 2 ~ 5 times higher rate of pancreatic cancer than normal, the rate of other cancers is also high. many times higher than non-smokers. Avoid greasy foods. In our daily diet, we should avoid foods that are too greasy, foods high in energy; should eat more fruits and vegetables; reasonable sport. If you are working in an environment where you are often exposed to chemicals such as benzidine, beta-naphthylamine, pesticides (DDT), solvents, petrol... you should strictly follow them. safety rules, fully equipped with protective gear when working, in order to minimize the impact of chemicals on the body. Pancreatitis and diabetes are also some of the leading causes of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, if you have a history of diabetes, acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis, you should have regular follow-up screenings on the advice of your doctor.