Pancreatic cancer can be a surprising and scary diagnosis. It is a diagnosis that you are usually not prepared for since the disease has no telltale signs, there is no standard screening test for it, and compared to most other cancers, survival rates are much lower.

Pancreatic cancer is an extremely hard diagnosis, but there is hope. Over the past decade, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients increased from 6% to 12%. There is a need to improve survival even more, but this increase shows that progress is happening.

If you have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, we are here for you and ready to help you through this difficult time. Our teams of knowledgeable and experienced radiation oncologists, armed with the latest state-of-the-art radiation therapy technology, are here to join you through this challenging time. Pancreatic cancer can be devastating. Treatment doesn’t have to be.

The pancreas is a gland located in the abdomen, between the stomach and the spine. It makes enzymes that help digestion and hormones that control blood sugar levels. Pancreatic cancer begins when abnormal cells in the pancreas grow and divide out of control and form a tumor. Pancreatic cancer often spreads to the liver, abdominal wall, lungs, bones, and/or lymph nodes.

Pancreatic tumors are either exocrine or neuroendocrine (endocrine) tumors. This is based on the type of cell they start in. Knowing the type of tumor is important because each type acts differently and responds to different treatments. Exocrine cancers are by far the most common type of pancreas cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than in women and has one of the lowest survival rates, but the stats for the disease are improving. Research into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer is underway in many medical centers throughout the world, with the hope that the five-year survival rate will continue to rise.