Pancreatic Cancer Mean

 Pancreatic Cancer - Mean the End:

Perhaps for some of us pancreatic cancer was a lesser known cancer until we read or heard about it from the news. Actors Steve McQueen, Michael Landon, Patrick Swayze, tenor Lucian Pavarotti, and of course Apple's founder Steve Jobs, all of whom battled with pancreatic cancer, and died as a result of it.

The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach. Its head is attached to the duodenum while its tail reaches the spleen. It contains two types of glands: exocrine glands that make enzymes to break down fats and proteins, and endocrine glands that make hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate sugar in the blood.

Cancer originating from the exocrine glands is said to be more aggressive of the two. However unless detected early and operated, pancreatic cancer at its metastasized stage is deadly because it is difficult to treat. It has a depressingly low survival rate - very few make it beyond 5 years after diagnosis, just 4 to 5 percent. The incidence of pancreatic cancer increases with age, usually between 50 and 80 years of age.

Strategies against This Cancer

• Stop Smoking and Drinking - Smoking and alcohol are believed to increase the risk.

• Diet and Exercise - Eating a diet rich in clean and fresh fruits and vegetables, low in refined sugar and carbohydrates and exercising, cut risk.

• Colorful Flavones - In a first of its kind study, researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition noted that flavones helped cut pancreatic cancer risk by about 25 percent and 59 percent for smokers. The three types of flavones analyzed were: quercetin, found in apples and onions; kaempferol, present in spinach and cabbage; and myricetin, found in berries and red onions. Flavones are a class of flavonoids, which are known for their powerful antioxidant properties.

• Vitamin D - Studies are showing a link between vitamin D and pancreatic cancer risk. Two studies from Harvard each found this correlation. One compared people taking 150 vs. 600 international units (3.8 vs. 15 mcg) vitamin D per day and reported a 40 percent lower cancer risk in people who took more vitamin D. The other study found a 35 percent lower risk for those with higher vitamin D blood levels. According to Vitamin D Council, taking 1000-4000 international units (25-100 mcg) daily of vitamin D may reduce pancreatic cancer risk.