The pancreas is a gland located in the abdominal region that performs two main functions for the body: produces digestive juices and the hormone insulin which regulates the blood sugar levels. The part which produces the digestive juices is exocrine and the insulin-producing part is the endocrine portion. Pancreatic cancer, which is an uncontrolled growth of the pancreas cells, often starts in the exocrine portion and is known as the pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The one which develops in the endocrine portion is known as neuroendocrine cancer or islet cell tumors.

Risk factors
Though not clearly established, the following factors are believed to up the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Smoking
Family history
Prolonged uncontrolled diabetes
Pancreatic conditions like inherited pancreatitis
Chronic inflammation of the pancreas
Symptoms
A pancreatic condition is of insidious onset, and the exact period of onset cannot be determined. The symptoms also are nonspecific abdominal symptoms, which do not pinpoint the pancreas per se.

Jaundice, which includes yellowing of the skin and whites of the white. This is because the growth of the pancreas puts pressure on the liver and bile ducts, and so hampers bile flow.
Weight loss, which was unintended. This is due to a bloated feeling plus inability to digest the foods.
Severe pain, which can be difficult and may even require regular injections to control.
Fluctuating sugar levels, which is unexplained.
Onset of diabetes, which is associated with weight loss and jaundice.
Increased tendency for blood clots.
Loss of appetite.
Bowel obstruction due to blockage of the growing pancreas.
Diagnosis
The above symptoms could lead to a further investigation that includes a few important tests, like the following.

Blood tests
Insulin levels
CT scan
Ultrasound
MRI
Laparoscopy, both to look for the extent of the disease and to do a biopsy, which can be used for confirming the type of cancer
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography: A dye is injected into the pancreas to study the spread of the dye, which will also help identify the diseased portion.
Treatment
Pancreatic cancer is very aggressive, usually not detected early, and has a very poor prognosis. So, if there is a family history or one has a prolonged pancreatic condition, it is advisable to go for annual screening to help with early detection and intervention. Once identified, treatment would include a combination of the three modalities   surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Surgery often may be followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation.

Prognosis
The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is very poor. Only about 25% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer live past the first year. Early detection of risk factor remains the best way to improve prognosis. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Pancreatic Cancer - 8 Common Signs You Must Be Aware Of!

The diagnosis as well as management of pancreatic cystic lesions is a general problem. Nearly 1% of the patients in the chief medical centers have been observed to have pancreatic cystic lesions on cross sectional imaging. It has also been observed that a quarter of all pancreas scanned in an autopsy series contain pancreatic cysts. Earlier, these cystic lesions were regarded benign but with increasing evidence made available from the cystic lesions, they are regarded as origin of pancreatic malignancies.


Information on asymptomatic neoplastic pancreatic cysts
The most vital medical tools that are used in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cystic lesions include the endoscopic ultrasound and cross sectional imaging. These are used to distinguish non-mucinous cysts from mucinous cysts. The identification of pancreatic cysts creates a lot of anxiety for the clinicians as well as the patients related to the probable presence of a fatal tumor. The findings of a macro cystic lesion that enclose viscous fluid loaded in cea are helpful in the analysis of a mucinous lesion. 


The most common pancreatic cysts are the non-neoplastic inflammatory pseudo cysts, and they can be detected easily by imaging. The identification of pancreatic irregularity with probable association with malignant cells is a vital source of referral for the specialist. The set of guidelines that have been proposed for the management and diagnosis of patients with asymptomatic neoplastic pancreatic cysts are based specifically on the analysis of the quality of the data. It is also designed to address the most important and frequent clinical scenarios. The diagnostic suggestions are provided based on the clinical problem as well as the risk of malignancy.


Imperative guidelines to follow
To achieve accurate diagnosis of asymptomatic neoplastic pancreatic cysts is indeed a great challenge. It is all the more important to find the reproducible methods that can be used to stratify threat of cancer for the patients. The main guidelines include a two year screening interval of cysts that can be of any size as well as stopping observation after 5 years, in case there is no change. The new guidelines, for the most part, recommend surgery if more than one concerning feature is confirmed on the mri by use of endoscopic ultrasound. The new guidelines even suggest discontinuation of inspection after the surgery if no dysplasia or invasive cancer is identified. The guidelines have mainly been developed by use of grading of recomendations assessment, development and evaluation.

Diagnosis and Management of Asymptomatic Neoplastic Pancreatic Cysts

Pancreas are a small, but a pretty important part of a person s digestive system. So when it needs to be removed, the reason has got to be quite serious, to say the least, doesn t it? The procedure is known formally as a pancreatectomy and it is most often required for people who are suffering from cancer of the pancreas. Ideally, these people would only need the cancerous tumours removed, but things are not always this simple. As a matter of fact, only a little more than a tenth of the people who have pancreatic cancer can have the tumour alone removed. As a result, most need to go for a pancreatectomy, which involves removing the entire pancreas. Whether the pancreas can be kept is usually related to how soon the cancer was detected, with people who have done so in time being a majority of the 10% of people with pancreatic cancer who have not needed pancreatectomies.

If a person does not have cancer, the reason he or she may need a pancreatectomy due to an accident which has injured the area significantly badly. In this case, a procedure which is known as a partial pancreatectomy is carried out on the patient. The good news is that the success rate of this sort of operation is generally quite high and the long-term effects on the body are nil. This is the case in spite of a lot of the normal tissue of the pancreas being removed, pretty amazing, isn t it?

While it may be called a pancreatectomy, it does not always mean that the pancreas is the only thing that is removed. In fact, in a lot of pancreatectomies, the surgeons also remove other parts of the digestive system which are usually the common bile duct, the spleen and the gallbladder.

There is, of course, the case of chronic pancreatitis, which occurs when the organ just swells up repeatedly. The repeated swelling leads to permanent damage of it, which affects the rest of the body, too. In most cases, the cause of this happens to be a sustained addiction to alcohol. When this is the case, it is really hard to perform a pancreatectomy and the utility of the pancreas is greatly reduced. Not a good situation to be in, under any circumstances, at all!

A pancreatectomy is a process which nobody would voluntarily wish to undergo, but there are advantages to knowing what it is, in any case!

Pancreatectomy - When To Go For It?

A pancreatic transplantation or pancreas transplantation refers to the surgical procedure, which involves replacing a dysfunctional pancreas with a healthy one.  The donor of the pancreas is usually a deceased person. Pancreas is an important organ of the body as it produces several important hormones, which play a significant role of regulating our body cycles. Pancreas transplantation is usually performed for the treatment of type 1 diabetes which is linked to the inability of the pancreas to produce the insulin hormone.

A pancreatic transplant is considered as one of the potential cures for type 1 diabetes. However it is not considered to be a standard treatment due to complications, such as:

Rejection of graft by the recipient body or similar complications
The medications which are given to prevent the rejection can have serious side effects too
Certain complications like blood clots or infections can occur following the procedure
Failure to control the blood sugar levels and rejection of the graft or complete pancreatic failure are Common complications that occur after a pancreas transplant.
These are the primary reasons why pancreas transplant is often considered to be one of the last measures of treating diabetes. Nevertheless, there are certain conditions where a pancreas transplant is worth considering. Some of the conditions include diabetes which cannot be controlled with the usual treatment procedure, chronic poor blood sugar control, insulin reactions which turns chronic or a serious kidney disease.

Certain medications are also prescribed for anti rejection purposes. These medications need to be taken after the operation for the rest of your life to prevent rejection of the donor graft. These medications can have a few adverse side effects. Some of the side effects include hypertension, thinning of your bones, unwanted weight gain and a rise in your cholesterol levels. Swollen gums or acne are also observed in several cases.  

Often a pancreas transplant is carried out along with a kidney transplant, especially if you have a serious kidney condition. It helps to provide a healthy kidney and a pancreas and also reduces a risk of kidney damage caused due to diabetes later in the future.

Know More About Pancreatic Transplantation!

There has been an intense debate, which is in the loop for years and has been raging back and forth regarding the deficiencies of a vegetarian diet versus the perils of a non-vegetarian one. This heated debate is both accurate as well as unfounded. Probably, that s the entire reason it is still a debate. In fact, if you look into the diet of both groups, you will be able to identify the fact that, there is a space for healthy living in both.

Vegetarian Diet

In a vegetarian diet, the food intake of a person is confined to a large variety of foods derived from plants along with milk and dairy. And, any form of meat and products derived from animals are completely avoided.

Pros

Vegetarians have been noted to consume lesser amount of proteins, but they do not suffer from problems related to a high protein diet, such as osteoporosis (characterized by brittle and weak bones) and kidney failure.
The diet includes high level of antioxidants such as vitamin E & C as well as carotene, which is available in vegetables and fruits.
Additionally, they consume less amount of saturated fats.
Cons

Deficiency of vitamin B12 is common amongst vegetarians, as it is mainly available in meat, eggs and fish. Deficiency of vitamin B12 can yield rare symptoms such as increased fatigue, shortness of breath and a temporary loss of body balance.
Lack of protein, as stated above, along with iron and zinc deficiency is also common. 
Symptoms of protein deficiency can be troublesome and include signs like

Sluggish metabolism
Loss of body muscles (as the body tries to derive the regular protein intake from your muscles, thus making them weak),
Trouble gaining or losing weight
Persistent fatigue
Longer healing time in case of wounds and injuries
Pain in joints
Drastic changes in blood sugar level that might result in diabetes
A weak immune system makes you vulnerable to all kinds of diseases.
Non-vegetarian Diet

A non-vegetarian diet includes all forms of plant foods as well as foods and by-products that are derived from animals, such as poultry, fish, meat, etc.

Pros 

Vitamin B12 is present in adequate level since they are derived from sources such as meat, eggs and fish. Adequate intake of proteins is never an issue for  non-vegetarians
Cons

Meat products are loaded with saturated fats, which increase the risk of heart diseases. Studies have shown that people consuming non-vegetarian diets:
Have shorter lifespan and are more vulnerable to chronic diseases.
Tend to develop diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension.
Usually non vegetarians eat less amount of vegetables and fruits than what is recommended.  
If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.

Vegetarian vs Non Vegetarian Diet - Which is Better?

With the growing market for organic products, there is a widespread confusion on which product to choose. The same dilemma holds good in selecting the type of bread. White bread or Brown Bread? People are not sure which one to eat to stay healthy. A few quick facts about the two types of bread and which one should be consumed to stay healthy, are given below

White Bread
White bread is made out of refined wheat flour that has nothing to offer for the body. During the process of making white bread, the bran and wheat germ is removed from the wheat flour and Potassium Bromate, Benzoyl Peroxide or Chlorine Dioxide gas are used for bleaching to generate the whiteness. Potassium Bromate is highly dangerous if consumed in large doses. Chlorine dioxide is also used as a pesticide and is considered hazardous to the environment. When a large amount of white bread is consumed, the refined carbohydrates generate high levels of insulin thus, resulting in higher chances of weight gain. In spite of being globally popular, white bread is highly unhealthy for your body. It is completely devoid of nutrients and it is as harmful as table sugar for the digestive system.

Brown Bread
The American Academy of Pediatrics has revealed that whole wheat brown bread is rich in nutrients compared to the white bread. One major factor contributing to the above-mentioned fact is the amount of fiber present in whole wheat brown bread. The increased fiber content slows down the digestion process and thereby, reduces the effect on blood sugar and production of insulin. Other nutrients that are present in brown bread include vitamin B6, E, Folic acid, Zing, Copper and Manganese. Brown bread has lesser amount of calcium as compared with brown bread. Many manufacturers claim that they produce brown bread with the same amount of calcium as in white bread. Whole wheat bread contains Phytonutrient also called as plant lignans that have been observed to protect against heart diseases and breast cancer.

Things to consider while buying Brown Bread
The declining demand for white bread has forced a lot of manufacturers to use caramel as a coloring agent to darken white to brown bread. So buyers need to carefully look for the ingredients mentioned in the packing to ensure that they are buying the right product. It is important to check the first ingredient to see whether it is whole wheat or whole meal flour. If the word "enriched" is used, it means that the same flour used for white bread is used. Look for the bread with the minimum ingredients to ensure that you get maximum nutrients and very little additives. Also, make sure the amount of the following ingredients are as given below; sodium should be lesser than 401mg, saturated fat should be 1gm and fiber needs to be 4gm per 2 slices of serving.

To conclude, when it comes to organic and fitness oriented scenarios, brown is always better than white.

White Vs Brown Bread - Which One Should You Eat ?

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