ESMO Patients Guide
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? In its early stages, pancreatic cancer often has no symptoms. As the cancer progresses, the symptoms experienced can vary depending on the whether the tumour is located in the pancreatic head, body or tail. Tumours in the pancreatic head tend to cause more symptoms than those in the body or tail – this is because tumours in the pancreatic head may press on the bile duct or pancreatic duct and cause conditions such as jaundice. Symptoms that may be experienced with pancreatic cancer include (Ducreux et al., 2015) : • Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (for pancreatic head tumours). • Abdominal pain. • Weight loss. • Fatty stools. • Symptoms of new-onset diabetes, such as thirst, frequent urination and fatigue.
Pancreatic cancer usually has few symptoms in its early stages
You should see your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. However, it is important to remember that these symptoms can also be experienced by people who do not have pancreatic cancer; they may also be caused by other conditions.
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