Guide To Understanding Pancreatic Cancer Stages

The pancreas is an organ in the upper abdomen that is responsible for the production and secretion of certain kinds of hormones and digestive enzymes. Pancreatic cancer that develops in the cells responsible for the digestive enzymes is called exocrine pancreatic cancer and includes adenocarcinomas, acinar cell carcinoma, ampullary cancer, adenosquamous carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and giant cell carcinomas. Pancreatic cancer that develops in the cells responsible for hormones is called endocrine pancreatic cancer and includes insulinomas, glucagonomas, gastrinomas, somatostatinomas, and VIPomas. Blood, urine, and stool tests may be used to help make a pancreatic cancer diagnosis along with endoscopic ultrasound, CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans, x-rays, an angiogram, and a tissue biopsy. Once a pancreatic cancer diagnosis has been confirmed, the size, direct extent, degree of lymph node infiltration, and degree of distant organ involvement will be evaluated to determine the stage of cancer.