CNN —
“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek died on Sunday more than a year after he announced he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
The cause of his death was not immediately announced. Trebek revealed in March 2019 he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, triggering an outpouring of support.
Earlier this year, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, and US Rep. John Lewis died months after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer was the third-leading cause of death from cancer in the United States in 2018, after lung and colorectal cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
This year, an estimated 56,770 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed and an estimated 45,750 deaths from pancreatic cancer will occur across the nation, according to the American Cancer Society.
About 95% of people with pancreatic cancer die from it, experts say. It’s so lethal because during the early stages, when the tumor would be most treatable, there are usually no symptoms. It tends to be discovered at advanced stages when abdominal pain or jaundice may result. Presently, there are no general screening tools.
Men have a slightly higher likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer than women, which may partly result from increased tobacco use in men. In the past, when men more commonly smoked than women, the gender gap was wider. Currently, the lifetime risk of developing it is about 1 in 63 for men and 1 in 65 for women.
There is also a noted association with race: African-Americans are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than whites. Doctors don’t know why but speculate that higher rates of men smoking and having diabetes, and women being overweight, may contribute to that association.
What are the types of pancreatic cancer?
The pancreas is an oblong organ that lies deep in the abdomen and is an integral part of both the digestive and endocrine system. It secretes hormones to regulate the body and digestive enzymes to break down food.
There are two types of pancreatic cancer: exocrine tumors and endocrine tumors.
Exocrine tumors are the majority of pancreatic cancers, and the most common form is called adenocarcinoma, which begins in gland cells, usually in the ducts of the pancreas. These tumors tend to be more aggressive than neuroendocrine tumors, the kind that Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs had, but if caught early enough, they can be treated effectively with surgery.
The five-year survival rate for neuroendocrine tumors can range from 50% to 80%, compared with less than 5% for adenocarcinoma.
More advanced tumors have a higher risk of recurrence and can spread to the liver, said Dr. Steven Libutti, pancreatic cancer expert and director of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care in the Bronx.
Treatment options
Pancreatic cancer is usually controllable only through removal by surgery and only if found before it has spread, according to the National Cancer Institute. Palliative care can help a patient’s quality of life if the disease has spread.
Two drugs approved in 2011 may help patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. They are believed to suppress the blood supply and metabolism of the tumor cells. That’s good progress since, the year before, the standard of care was chemotherapy, said Dr. Michaela Banck, a medical oncologist in New York, who treats patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
Everolimus, marketed by Novartis as Afinitor, received US Food and Drug Administration approval to treat pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and prevents transplant rejection. Potential side effects are serious, however: lung or breathing problems, infections and renal failure, which may lead to death.
Jobs underwent surgery to remove his tumor in 2004 and died in 2011. His seven-year survival after treatment is consistent with the average survival for these kinds of tumors, Libutti said.
If pancreatic cancers are detected early, that may increase the odds of survival, but it also depends on how aggressive the particular tumors are in a patient. If surgery leaves behind microscopic aggressive tumor cells, they can cause a recurrence of cancer.
Jobs also underwent a liver transplant in Tennessee in 2009, which is “cutting-edge stuff” for when neuroendocrine tumors spread, said Dr. Maged Rizk, director of the Chronic Abdominal Pain Center at the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in gastroenterology and hepatology.
Do transplants help?
Because it’s so rare, there isn’t a lot of evidence to support the transplant as a cure; the procedure could extend life, but immunosuppression drugs may allow any remaining cancer to grow faster, doctors say. And a European study found that the majority of patients who underwent liver transplant for this type of tumor had recurrence of the disease.
But many pancreatic cancers are detected in later stages because when the tumor is small, it often does not produce symptoms. As they grow, adenocarcinomas can obstruct the ducts from the liver and cause severe back pain. Neuroendocrine tumors sometimes produce insulin, so a patient’s first symptoms could be low glucose levels. But most tumors do not produce hormones, Libutti said.
Pancreatic cancer struck former President Jimmy Carter’s family hard. He lost his father and all of his siblings, brother Billy and sisters Ruth Carter Stapleton and Gloria Carter Spann.
The future of treatment
Researchers are working on better understanding the way in which pancreatic tumors grow and spread, Libutti said. There is also a lot of research focused on finding better treatments, targeted therapies, immune therapy, improving surgery and radiation therapy, according to the American Cancer Society.
“There are a number of agents that are being looked at in clinical trials that focus on pathways that may allow pancreatic cancer to evade normal processes,” Libutti said.
Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter
Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.
The future of medicine to help people with pancreatic cancer will involve genetics, Banck said. This would involve matching a person’s particular type of tumor using genomic information with treatment.
“What’s going to make real difference in the future is the revolution of the genomic era,” she said.
Correction: A previous version of this story listed a former title for Dr. Steven Libutti. He is currently director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and senior vice president of oncology services at RWJBarnabas Health.
CNN’s Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
FAQs
Why is pancreatic cancer the deadliest? ›
Pancreatic cancer isn't common, but it is one of the deadliest types of cancer. That's because symptoms usually don't surface until the cancer is already in late stages, making it difficult to treat.
What causes death from pancreatic cancer? ›When most patients die of pancreatic cancer, they die of liver failure from their liver being taken over by tumor.
Why is pancreatic cancer untreatable? ›“The pancreas sits in a tricky location, with major blood vessels, the bile duct, and the intestine all in the immediate neighborhood,” Dr. Leach explains. “When the tumor involves these major blood vessels, it generally can't be removed.”
Why is it hard to survive pancreatic cancer? ›“It's a very hard cancer to treat.” Pancreatic cancer cells are particularly evasive and resilient. They have cell mutations for which no current treatments are available. They form tumors that entangle themselves into surrounding blood vessels and tissue, making surgical removal difficult.
How do you know death is near with pancreatic cancer? ›Confusion. Paleness or changes in skin color Jaundice (yellow skin color) Restlessness. Withdrawing and/or speaking less frequently.
Is pancreatic cancer still a death sentence? ›Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest of all the common cancers and delays in diagnosis and treatment can be fatal. When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed early enough the pancreas can be removed, which is the only cure for the disease. Only 10% of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed in time for life-saving surgery.
What is the #1 cause of pancreatic cancer? ›Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The risk of getting pancreatic cancer is about twice as high among people who smoke compared to those who have never smoked. About 25% of pancreatic cancers are thought to be caused by cigarette smoking.
Is pancreatic cancer a quick death? ›Pancreatic cancer is stubborn. Despite recent developments in treatment, 90% of people with the disease die within five years of diagnosis.
How painful is pancreatic cancer? ›Pancreatic cancer can cause a dull pain in your upper tummy (abdomen), which may spread to your back. To begin with, the pain may come and go, but as the tumour becomes larger and more advanced, the pain may be more constant and last longer. The pain is often worse when you lie down or after you've eaten.
Can you fully recover from pancreatic cancer? ›Despite the overall poor prognosis and the fact that the disease is mostly incurable, pancreatic cancer has the potential to be curable if caught very early. Up to 10 percent of patients who receive an early diagnosis become disease-free after treatment.
Is it hard to beat pancreatic cancer? ›
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and challenging to diagnose. Patient symptoms tend to be vague and unfortunately are not usually identified until the disease has already advanced. The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is bleak, with an estimated 11% five-year survival rate.
What cancer is the most fatal? ›Lung and bronchus cancer is responsible for the most deaths with 130,180 people expected to die from this disease. That is nearly three times the 52,580 deaths due to colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest cancer, causing 49,830 deaths.
How do you beat pancreatic cancer? ›Pancreatic cancer treatment may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, vaccination, pain management, immunotherapy and dietary changes. Surgery is available to about 20 percent of pancreatic cancer patients as a potentially effective treatment.
What is the longest someone has lived with pancreatic cancer? ›- Home /
- Kay Kays is Among The World's Longest Survivor of Pancreatic Cancer.
The median survival for untreated advanced pancreatic cancer is about 3 1/2 months; with good treatment this increases to about eight months, though many will live much longer. We have encountered nine and eleven and twelve year survivors.
Is pancreatic cancer death painful? ›If you are approaching the end of life, the cancer may cause symptoms such as pain, fatigue (extreme tiredness), sickness, weight loss and bowel problems. Not everyone will get all of the symptoms we've included in this section.
How fast moving is pancreatic cancer? ›Typically, it takes 10-20 years for pancreatic cancer to develop in a patient. Even in an animal model, the process is several months long. This pancreatic tumor model condenses cancer development to just two weeks.
What are last weeks of pancreatic cancer like? ›In the final few weeks, you may notice your family member starts to gradually withdraw from the world. They may speak less than usual, be more tired and sleep more. In the final few days, they may stop speaking, although this doesn't mean they won't speak again.
What lifestyle causes pancreatic cancer? ›Who gets it? While anyone can get pancreatic cancer, there are certain risk factors to be aware of. Most pancreatic cancer is diagnosed after age 65. Smoking, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas, family history of pancreatic cancer, and certain genetic syndromes are all known risk factors.
Can you live 10 years after pancreatic cancer? ›Survival for all stages of pancreatic cancer
more than 5 out of every 100 (more than 5%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more. it is estimated that only 5 out of every 100 (5%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis.
Are there any known survivors of pancreatic cancer? ›
Life Is Back to Normal for 5-Year Stage IV Survivor. jan 19, 2021. “Life is basically back to normal.” These are the words of five-year stage IV pancreatic cancer survivor, Lynne Holcomb, of […]
Who is more likely to get pancreatic cancer? ›You might be more likely to get it if you: are over the age of 75 – it's not very common in people under 40. have certain medical conditions, such as long-term chronic pancreatitis. there is a history of pancreatic cancer in your family.
Who is at risk of getting pancreatic cancer? ›Research has shown that obese and even overweight people have a higher risk of being diagnosed with and dying from pancreatic cancer. Chronic, heavy alcohol use can also increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, most likely by causing recurrent pancreatitis, which is repeated inflammation of the pancreas.
What are the first warning signs of pancreatic cancer? ›- Dark-colored urine.
- Itchy skin.
- Digestive problems, including abnormal stools, nausea or vomiting.
- Pain in the upper abdomen, which may extend to the back.
- Appetite loss.
- Swollen gallbladder (usually found by a doctor during a physical exam)
- Blood clots.
- Diabetes.
You can live without your pancreas, but you'll have to take medicines to replace what it does in your body. Thanks to new medicines, life expectancy after pancreas removal surgery is rising. Your pancreas makes substances that control your blood sugar and help your body digest foods.
Can you have pancreatic cancer for years without knowing? ›Pancreatic cancer is hard to find early. The pancreas is deep inside the body, so early tumors can't be seen or felt by health care providers during routine physical exams. People usually have no symptoms until the cancer has become very large or has already spread to other organs.
Why is pancreatic cancer so fast moving? ›Why is this particular cancer so aggressive? Because of the nature of the tumor cells. They escape the treatments, they hide out, and then they come back. And they grow again and they affect the liver and then they kill people.
Where does pancreatic cancer usually start? ›Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: About 95% of cancers of the exocrine pancreas are adenocarcinomas. These cancers usually start in the ducts of the pancreas. Less often, they develop from the cells that make the pancreatic enzymes, in which case they are called acinar cell carcinomas.
What are the signs that pancreatic cancer is getting worse? ›...
They might include:
- feeling or being sick.
- unexplained weight loss.
- tummy (abdominal) pain.
- yellowing of eyes and skin (jaundice)
- a build-up of fluid in your abdomen - ascites.
Is Pancreatic Cancer Hereditary? Experts estimate that a small percentage (10 percent) of pancreatic cancer cases are hereditary. Hereditary cancers are caused by gene mutations (abnormalities in your DNA) that can be passed down in families.
Is chemo worth it for pancreatic cancer? ›
Locally advanced pancreatic cancer
You should be offered chemotherapy, and sometimes chemoradiotherapy. This may shrink the cancer and slow down its growth. It can also help with any symptoms and help you feel better. For a small number of people, this treatment may shrink the cancer enough to make surgery possible.
Cancer survival rates by cancer type
The cancers with the lowest five-year survival estimates are mesothelioma (7.2%), pancreatic cancer (7.3%) and brain cancer (12.8%). The highest five-year survival estimates are seen in patients with testicular cancer (97%), melanoma of skin (92.3%) and prostate cancer (88%).
Pancreatic Cancer: The Silent Killer.
Can you fight stage 4 pancreatic cancer? ›Doctors are not able to cure stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Treatment aims to prolong the person's life, improve their quality of life, and manage their symptoms.
Can you live a long life after pancreatic cancer? ›The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 7.3%.
This means that around 8 in 100 people will have survived for five years and beyond. 10-year survival of the disease is 1%, meaning only around 1 in 100 people survive 10 years and beyond.
Esophageal cancer. 5. Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer.
What are the 4 deadliest cancers? ›- Lung & Bronchus. Lung and bronchial cancer causes more deaths in the U.S. than any other type of cancer in both men and women. ...
- Breast. The breast cancer death rate among women peaked in 1989. ...
- Prostate. ...
- Colon & Rectum. ...
- Pancreas. ...
- Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct. ...
- Ovary.
Cancer that cannot be cured and leads to death. Also called end-stage cancer.
What is the truth about pancreatic cancer? ›Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. For all stages combined, the 5-year relative survival rate is 11%. Even for the small percentage (13%) of people diagnosed with local disease, the 5-year survival rate is only 42%.
What is the newest treatment for pancreatic cancer? ›Anti-angiogenesis factors: All cancers depend on new blood vessels to nourish their growth. To block the growth of these vessels and thereby starve the tumor, scientists have developed anti-angiogenesis drugs. These are being studied in clinical trials for patients with pancreatic cancer.
How do you slow down pancreatic cancer? ›
- Monitor and maintain a healthy weight. ...
- Stay hydrated. ...
- Eat small, frequent meals. ...
- High-protein foods with every meal. ...
- Consider the use of liquid supplements or shakes. ...
- Choose foods that are easy to digest. ...
- Choose essential whole grain foods. ...
- Choose colorful foods.
Pancreatic Cancer Linked to Common Diabetes Drugs: Byetta, Januvia, Janumet and Victoza.
How long is end stage pancreatic cancer? ›A person who is terminally sick is actively dying and will typically die within a few months. Pancreatic cancer in stage 4 is not generally referred to as a terminal. While the cancer is advanced or terminal, some patients do survive longer than a few months.
Why is pancreatic cancer called the silent killer? ›Part of the reason that pancreatic cancer is so deadly is because early symptoms can be vague and easy to miss, so it often is not detected until the cancer is very advanced and has spread to other areas of the body.
Is pancreatic cancer one of the deadliest? ›Compared to other cancers, pancreatic cancer is relatively rare. But it is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Only about 8.5% of patients with pancreatic cancer are alive five years after their diagnosis. This one of the lowest survival rates for any kind of cancer.
Why does pancreatic cancer spread so quickly? ›Why is this particular cancer so aggressive? Because of the nature of the tumor cells. They escape the treatments, they hide out, and then they come back. And they grow again and they affect the liver and then they kill people.
What is the life expectancy of a person with pancreatic cancer? ›Potentially Curable If Caught Very Early
Up to 10 percent of patients who receive an early diagnosis become disease-free after treatment. For patients who are diagnosed before the tumor grows much or spreads, the average pancreatic cancer survival time is 3 to 3.5 years.
You can live without your pancreas, but you'll have to take medicines to replace what it does in your body. Thanks to new medicines, life expectancy after pancreas removal surgery is rising. Your pancreas makes substances that control your blood sugar and help your body digest foods.
Who has lived the longest with pancreatic cancer? ›- Home /
- Kay Kays is Among The World's Longest Survivor of Pancreatic Cancer.
The short answer is: pancreatic cancer is treatable if discovered early enough. An early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can mean receiving potentially life saving surgery (currently the only cure for pancreatic cancer), preventing the cancer from spreading around the body.
Is pancreatic cancer a quick killer? ›
Just 7% of people with pancreatic cancer are alive after five years. The pancreatic cancer survival rate after ten years is less than 2%.
When is pancreatic cancer most painful? ›Pancreatic cancer can cause a dull pain in your upper tummy (abdomen), which may spread to your back. To begin with, the pain may come and go, but as the tumour becomes larger and more advanced, the pain may be more constant and last longer. The pain is often worse when you lie down or after you've eaten.
Can you live 10 years with pancreatic cancer? ›Survival for all stages of pancreatic cancer
more than 5 out of every 100 (more than 5%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more. it is estimated that only 5 out of every 100 (5%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis.
If the cancer is detected at an early stage when surgical removal of the tumor is possible, the 5-year survival rate is 42%. About 13% of people are diagnosed at this stage. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs, the 5-year survival rate is 14%.
At what stage is pancreatic cancer incurable? ›Summary. Stage 4 pancreatic cancer has spread beyond the pancreas and into other organs. Doctors are not able to cure the cancer at this stage, and treatments aim to improve the person's quality of life, relieve their symptoms, and prolong their life.