Let’s talk about Pancreatic cancer

November is Pancreatic cancer awareness month

November is Pancreatic cancer awareness month.  Did you know that Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer related death in the US?

Here are some more facts about Pancreatic cancer:

• 94% of people with pancreatic cancer will die within 5 years of being diagnosed.
• Only 7 % will survive more than five years.
• About 48,960 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year in the US.

Here are some risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer:

• being a tobacco smoker
• being overweight
• having a family history of pancreatic cancer
• having diabetes
• having chronic pancreatitis (chronic inflammation of the pancreas)
• having cirrhosis of the liver
• stomach problems
• being obese
• working in a workplace that causes exposure to dyes, chemicals or pesticides

*Please note that having one or more risk factors doesn’t mean that you will develop pancreatic cancer, it just means that you have a possible higher chance.  Some people have pancreatic cancer without any of the above mentioned factors.

Here are some signs of pancreatic cancer:

If you have any symptoms of pancreatic cancer, please consult your physician.

Advertisement

Let’s talk about Kidney Cancer

Our kidneys are bean shaped organs in our bodies.  Every day our kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out approximately 2 quarts of waste and water.  This waste and water becomes our urine.  Most everyone is born with 2 kidneys.

Here are the risk factors of kidney cancer:

• Smoking– if you currently smoke, please stop 
• Obesity
• Having a relative that had kidney cancer
• Having high blood pressure
• Having advanced kidney disease, especially if you are on dialysis
• Taking “water pills” /diuretics
• Workplaces that expose you to certain chemicals/ herbicides and solvents.

Here are some warning signs of kidney/renal cancer:

• Bloody urine (medical term: hematuria)
• Weight loss
• A consistent fever
• Fatigue/tiredness
• Low back pain in the kidney area
• A mass or lump in the back or side area
• Anemia
• Loss of appetite/ not hungry

If you have any of these signs, please see your doctor immediately to be check out.

Stomach Cancer

 

Here are some stomach cancer signs.  If you experiencing this signs for over a couple of weeks, I urge you to please see your physician to get checked out.