Patient Education Cancer of the Pancreas: A Care Guide | Page 6

Pancreatic Cancer
• Can be referred to as side branch
or main pancreatic duct cystic
tumor.
• Has the highest risk of becoming
cancer when in the main
pancreatic duct.
Pancreatic cancer begins in cells that
make up the tissues of the pancreas.
In normal body tissues, cells grow and
divide, forming new cells to replace
old or damaged cells. This is the
body’s natural cycle — to get rid of
old cells as new ones are made.
Sometimes genetic or environmental
issues can cause cells not to die —
leaving them to grow uncontrollably.
These extra cells may form masses
of tissues called tumors. You may
hear medical staff refer to a tumor
as a mass, lesion, neoplasm, nodule,
or spot. These all have the same
meaning.
Tumors in the pancreas can be
benign (not cancer), premalignant, or
malignant (cancer). Benign tumors are
not as harmful as malignant tumors.
Malignant tumors:
• Sometimes can be removed but
can grow back.
• Can invade and cause damage to
nearby tissues and organs.
• Can spread to other parts of the
body — called metastasis.
• May be a threat to life.
Cancer can:
• Invade — a cancerous tumor in the
pancreas can invade organs nearby
such as the stomach or small
intestine.
• Shed — cancer cells can break off
from the tumor in the pancreas
and shed into the abdomen. This
can lead to other tumors on the
surfaces of organs in the abdomen.
• Spread — pancreatic cancer cells
can spread by breaking away from
the tumor and traveling through
the blood vessels to the liver,
lungs, or other organs. The cells
can also spread through lymph
vessels to nearby lymph nodes.
After spreading, the cells may form
new tumors and damage other
tissues.
Benign tumors, such as cysts:
• Are usually not life threatening.
• Can be removed and usually don’t
grow back.
• Don’t invade the tissues around
them.
• Don’t spread to other parts of the
body.
IPMNs (intraductal papillary
mucinous neoplasms):
• Produce thick fluid by the tumor
cell (mucin).
• Sometimes can progress to
cancerous tumors if left untreated.
5