A review of undergoing pancreatic cancer screening due to back pain and indigestion symptoms.

There was a time when a friend who was my college classmate passed away from pancreatic cancer, and the shock made me worry that I might also have pancreatic cancer. Around that time, I started experiencing a stabbing pain in my left back waist area, as if pierced by a needle, along with symptoms of indigestion.

I had back pain for several months, so I finally visited a nearby hospital for consultation and underwent blood tests related to the pancreas.

As you can see, two of them came out higher than the normal range.

The tumor marker test CA19-9 was within the normal range.

The doctor said I don't need to worry too much about this, but I was so anxious that I finally had an abdominal ultrasound and only felt relieved after confirming there was no abnormality.

After undergoing the tests and confirming there were no issues, it seems that the back pain has also disappeared and the indigestion symptoms have gone away.

It's really fascinating.

I think I was becoming too sensitive because of my friend.

All cancers are almost asymptomatic in the early stages, but pancreatic cancer is especially difficult to detect early because it is located deep within the body.

It's called a part.

The pancreas is a digestive organ located in the upper abdomen between the tip of the sternum and the navel. It secretes various digestive enzymes and insulin, playing a role in breaking down food in the intestines and regulating blood sugar levels.

Malignant tumors that develop in the pancreas are called pancreatic cancer.

It is said to occur mainly in men over the age of 50.

 

Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking (30%), high-calorie diet (20%), chronic pancreatitis (4%), genetic factors (10%), and unknown causes (36%).

 

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer - there are no early symptoms, so the early detection rate is very low, below 10%.

Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include abdominal pain, jaundice, loss of appetite, weight loss, gray stools, nausea, and vomiting.

In the case of my friend, it was when we met a month before the diagnosis.

He had lost a lot of weight, and his liver function test results were surprisingly high, and he mentioned that his jaundice was severe.

Until then, I thought my friend was just suffering from an extreme diet, but in the end, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away after only six months.

He passed awayㅠ

 

For pancreatic cancer testing

1. Blood test - tests the enzyme levels of the pancreas in the blood. (This is the test I received.)

2. Tumor marker test - a test for substances such as proteins that are characteristically produced depending on the type of cancer.

It is produced by cells that respond to cancer cells or similar cells.

Tumor marker tests alone cannot confirm the presence of cancer or whether the cancer is progressing.

There are CA19-9, Span-1, and CEA.

3. Ultrasound examination

4. CT scan

There are more diagnostic tests besides MRI scans.

 

Pancreatic cancer screening should be conducted before symptoms appear.

It is very important.

Initially, most symptoms are either asymptomatic or include common issues such as indigestion and abdominal pain.

The pancreas is located deep behind the stomach, making it difficult to detect through routine examinations alone, and active testing is necessary when there are risk factors along with regular check-ups.

In particular, for those over 50 years old, smokers, diabetes patients, chronic pancreatitis patients, or individuals with a family history, it is recommended to manage more carefully and undergo regular check-ups.

I also have slightly elevated pancreatic enzymes, amylase and lipase, so I plan to continue with follow-up tests.

I will share my personal experience about pancreatic cancer, which approaches silently and threatens our health.