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Pancreas

The pancreas is an organ near the stomach that produces hormones as well as digestive enzymes.

Recently Answered Questions

What causes insulin resistance?
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by Healthy Humans
The cause of insulin resistance is complex and is still a very active area of research. It appears that a certain type of fat tissue, fat that is contained in the abdomen (also called visceral adipose tissue), produces certain hormones and other substances that together cause insulin resistance. This was a major surprise in medicine when it was discovered only 10 or 15 years ago. Prior to that, fa...
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What is hyperglycemia?
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by Healthy Humans
Hyperglycemia is a medical term that means elevated blood sugar. Medical terminology can often be broken into its parts to discern its meaning. "Hyper" means "elevated." The stem "glycem" refers to sugar, and "emia" as a suffix in any medical term means "in the bloodstream." Normally, the blood sugar is tightly regulated by several hormones: chief among them are insulin and glucagon. Blood sugar n...
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What is type 2 diabetes?
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by Boston Women's Health Book Collective
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body can't use sugar (glucose) properly. Ninety-five percent of people who have diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn't produce enough of the hormone insulin or becomes resistant to its effects. Insulin helps the body use and store glucose, keeping blood sugar at normal level. While type 2 diabetes is treatable, it i...
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What is the occurrence rate of pancreatic cancer?
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by Cleveland Clinic
The following are the occurence rates of Pancreatic cancer: The incidence of pancreatic cancer has increased throughout this century. It is the fourth most common cancer in men. It is the fifth most common cancer in women. Eighty percent of pancreatic cancer occurs in people over age 50. Unlike other cancers, such as colon or breast, it is difficult to detect in it's early stages. Learn mo...
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Who is at risk for pancreatic cancer?
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by Cleveland Clinic
The following are the people who are at more risk for pancreatic cancer: People with exposure to carcinogens (cancer causing agents) are at an increased risk. Though rare, heredity can play a role. Pancreatic cancer is three to four times more common in people who smoke. Learn more about who is at risk for pancreatic cancer.
How is pancreatic cancer diagnosed?
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by Cleveland Clinic
Pancreatic cancer can be diagnosed through the following: History of your symptoms Physical examination Lab tests for anemia and blood sugar Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancratogram (ERCP) CT scan or MRCP Learn more about the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
What is the follow-up care after pancreatic cancer treatment?
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by Cleveland Clinic
Follow up care after the treatment of pancreatic cancer includes: Control symptoms Eat small frequent meals Rest Pain medication if prescribed Wound care Bile tube care if necessary Resume normal activity A follow-up appointment Learn more about the follow-up care after pancreatic cancer treatment.
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
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by Cleveland Clinic
The following are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer: Dull, continuous abdominal pain (less pain when leaning forward, more when lying down) Pain in the middle of your back Jaundice (yellowing of skin and whites of eyes), often accompanied by itching of the skin Rapid weight loss Chronic nausea or diarrhea Weakness Enlarged liver and gallbladder Clay or light colored stools. Learn more about the s...
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How are PET scans used in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer?
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by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans are used to find and follow pancreatic cancer, and help guide treatment decisions. PET scans are extremely sensitive and accurate, able to identify changes not visible on computed tomography (CT or CAT) scans, a type of computerized x-ray. For a PET scan, patients are given a very small dose of radioactive material, either in a liquid to drink, or as an i...
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What are the two types of surgery for pancreatic cancer?
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by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
With the Whipple procedure, surgeons remove the head and sometimes the body of the pancreas, the lower portion of the stomach, the duodenum, and lymph nodes near the pancreas. Surgeons also remove the gallbladder and part of the common bile duct, and connect the remaining bile duct to the small intestine so that bile can enter the small intestine from the liver. For patients in whom the cancer h...
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