Pancreatic cancer
What is the pancreas? The pancreas is a leaf-shaped organ that produces digestive enzymes and hormones such as insulin. It lies high up in the abdomen, just behind the stomach. Major blood vessels that carry blood to the liver, intestines, kidneys and lower part of the body lie very close to the pancreas.
The position of the pancreas within the abdomen.
The pancreas lies close to major arteries and veins in the abdomen
The pancreas has three parts – the head, the tail and the body. Digestive enzymes and hormones produced in the pancreas travel from the pancreas to the duodenum (the first part of the small bowel) through a tube called the pancreatic duct. The part of the pancreas that produces hormones is called the endocrine pancreas, and the part that produces digestive enzymes is called the exocrine pancreas.
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