Pancreatic cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot, so it is sometimes dubbed the “silent disease”. Nonetheless, there are a few early warning signs to be aware of with two body parts being affected.
Back pain is an early sign of pancreatic cancer reports Pancreatic Cancer UK.
This type of pain usually starts in your tummy area and radiates all the way to your back.
The charity explains that the pain may start as general discomfort or tenderness, and later spreads.
It might come and go at first, but eventually, it becomes more constant.
This type of pain can become worse when you lie down or after you’ve had food.
Cancer Research UK notes that most people experience a “dull pain” that can begin in the stomach area.
Eventually, the pain could travel around to the back. The pain is noticeably worse when you lie down and is better when sitting forward.
Additionally, the stomach pain could be worse after eating.
Suffering from stomach pain is indicative that the cancer is the body and tail of the pancreas.
To gain a better understanding of what this means, it helps to know more about the anatomy of the pancreas.
Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that the right side of the organ is the widest part, known as the head.
The tapered left side is called the body of the pancreas and the end of the pancreas is called the tail.
LiveScience describes the abdominal organ to reach about six inches lengthwise, and it’s located behind the stomach hence the reason for the pain.
Other symptoms of this type of cancer are:
- Whites of your eyes or your skin turning yellow
- Loss of appetite
- Losing weight without trying to
- Feeling tired or having no energy
- High temperature, feeling hot or shivery.