About the Pancreas | What is Cancer? | Pancreatic Cancer | Symptoms | Diagnosis

What Are the Symptoms?

Many patients who have pancreatic cancer have no symptoms or very vague symptoms until the cancer is fairly large. This because the pancreas is so deep in the body that symptoms don't develop until it gets big enough to cause problems. Thus, the location of the cancer in the pancreas and/or the size of the tumor can lead to a variety of symptoms. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct, so that bile cannot pass from the gallbladder into the intestines, the bile then backs up into the bloodstream. The skin and whites of the eyes can become yellow, and the urine may become dark. This condition is called jaundice. Another common symptom is pain; it may be caused by a blockage of the main pancreatic duct (becoming worse after the person eats) or because the cancer is getting into the nerves that supply the pancreas and abdomen. Cancer of the pancreas can also cause nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea, weight loss, and/or diabetes (loss of blood sugar control).