Understanding Pancreatic Cancer Pain: How to Find Relief

Pancreatic cancer occurs when cells in the pancreas, a vital organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control. The pancreas produces important enzymes which help the body digest foods. It also produces important hormones, which help the body to control glucose.It is tough to diagnose Pancreatic Cancer in early stages. This is because, in most cases, symptoms don’t appear until much later in the disease.Pain can be a major problem and shouldn’t be ignored. Identifying patterns of pain can help your doctor diagnose the possibility of pancreatic cancer .Controlling pain can also help improve your quality of life. In addition, a study published by the National Center for Biotechnical Information suggests that reducing pain levels may increase the lifespan of those with pancreatic cancer.

Pain from pancreatic cancer may come from different areas. Early pancreatic cancer rarely causes any symptoms. By the time it does cause symptoms, it’s often already spread outside the pancreas.Pain in the stomach (abdomen or belly) is quite common. This may be for different reasons. A common cause is fewer digestive enzymes and a buildup of undigested foods. Foods may also back up into the stomach area if the cancer is blocking its passage out of the stomach.A common cause of abdominal pain is the growth of a tumor which then presses on nerves or nearby organs.A new pain after eating should be brought to your doctor’s attention. You should also tell your doctor about any pain that tends to be worse after eating.Back pain  especially when it seems to be coming from the stomach area is also common. This may come from changes to the abdomen area, or it may stem from changes to the liver. The liver is often enlarged in pancreatic cancer. This can lead to pain when the enlarged liver presses on nerves and tissues in surrounding areas.