Pancreatic cancer symptoms and risk factors

What are the symptoms?

Early-stage pancreatic cancer rarely causes obvious symptoms. Symptoms may not appear until the cancer is large enough to affect nearby organs or has spread.

The first symptom of pancreatic cancer is often jaundice. Signs of jaundice may include yellowish skin and eyes, dark urine, pale bowel motions and itchy skin. Jaundice is caused by the build-up of bilirubin, a dark yellow-brown substance found in bile. Bilirubin can build up if pancreatic cancer blocks the common bile duct.

Other common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:

• appetite loss
• nausea (with or without vomiting)
• unexplained weight loss
• pain in the upper abdomen, side or back, which may cause you to wake up at night
• changed bowel motions – including diarrhoea, severe constipation, or pale, oily, foul-smelling stools (poo) that are difficult to flush away in the toilet
• bloating and passing wind and burping more than usual
• newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
• fatigue (feeling very tired).

These symptoms can also occur in many other conditions and do not necessarily mean that you have cancer. If you are worried or have ongoing symptoms, speak with your general practitioner (GP).

Guides to Best Cancer Care

Find an overview of what to expect at every stage of your pancreatic cancer care. This is a short guide to what is recommended, from diagnosis to treatment and beyond.

What are the risk factors?

The causes of pancreatic cancer are not known, but research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

Factors that are known to increase the risk of getting pancreatic cancer include:

• smoking tobacco (people who smoke are about twice as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as people who don’t smoke)
• obesity
• ageing
• long-term diabetes (but diabetes can also be caused by the pancreatic cancer)
• long-term pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• certain types of cysts in the pancreatic duct known as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) – these should be assessed by an appropriate specialist
• stomach infections caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria (which can also cause stomach ulcers)
• family history and inherited conditions
• heavy exposure to certain chemicals used in some workplaces.

Having risk factors does not mean you will definitely get cancer, but talk to your doctor if you are concerned. Some people with pancreatic cancer have no known risk factors.

Does pancreatic cancer run in families?

Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer do not have a family history of the disease. Only about 5–10% of people who develop pancreatic cancer have inherited a faulty gene that increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

You may have inherited a faulty gene linked to pancreatic cancer if:

• 2 or more of your close family members (such as a parent or sibling) have had pancreatic cancer
• there is a family history of a genetic condition, such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, the familial breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), familial atypical multiple mole melanoma (FAMMM) syndrome, Lynch syndrome and hereditary pancreatitis.

Genetic testing aims to find inherited faulty genes that may increase a person’s risk of developing some cancers. People with a strong family history of cancer can go to a family cancer clinic for genetic counselling and tests.

For more information about family history and pancreatic cancer, talk to your doctor or local family cancer clinic.