Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic cancer) shows a long time no or only mild symptoms. These are often nonspecific and may occur even with relatively harmless disease. Absence in the early stages of the disease no typical symptoms or warning symptoms, pancreatic cancer is usually discovered until very late. If there are already before characteristic symptoms such as a jaundice (jaundice), or upper abdominal pain, it is usually at a more advanced pancreatic cancer. In more than half of those affected can be already relocation of the time of diagnosis (metastases) to find the tumor in other organs.

Pancreatic cancer usually causes symptoms only when the tumor growth through the production of pancreatic enzymes important for digestion or their drainage is impeded in the duodenum. There may be fatty stools come (increased excretion of undigested fat) over the chair. Has the pancreatic cancer spread to adjacent organs such as the already stomach, liver or intestine, you may experience nonspecific symptoms:

Approximately two thirds of all pancreatic cancers arise in the pancreatic head near the bile duct. Once such a tumor presses on the bile duct, may cause interference to drain bile. Symptoms such as jaundice (discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes), and itching are the result. The urine turns dark, the stools are light, these symptoms can also occur at an early stage of disease, in which the chances of recovery are better.

Diabetes mellitus

Due to changes in the pancreas may lead to a lack of insulin or even the halt of the entire production of insulin. There is a Diabetes (diabetes mellitus). It should therefore be designed with a new-onset diabetes, also always a - from the "classic" independent diabetes mellitus - disease of the pancreas.

Back pain

Diseases of the pancreas, because of the close proximity of the institution to the spine in some cases to back pain. Sometimes a belt radiating pain typically occurs when the pancreas is affected.