Goa CM Manohar Parrikar Dies Of Pancreatic Cancer - All About The Disease!

"Nation respects sacrifice but it wants you to stay alive and kill enemies."

This is one of the famous lines of the chief minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar, 63, who died on Sunday after battling Pancreatic Cancer for over a year. He was also the former defense minister of India.

He was first diagnosed in March 2018 in the United States. Since then, Parrikar, a technocrat-turned-politician and BJP stalwart was fighting with Pancreatic Cancer. He was suffering from this medical condition for over a year. The health of Manohar Parrikar turned worse in the past two days.

Sadly, at 6.40 pm on Sunday, the senior state government officials confirmed the death of the chief minister.  According to the sources, Parrikar was also put on a life support system. But, unfortunately, did not survive.

Let’s discover more about Pancreatic Cancer!

What is Pancreatic Cancer?

Pancreatic Cancer happens when the cell of pancreas grows abnormally. This uncontrolled growth of pancreatic cells then develops into a tumor and will interfere with the functionality of the pancreas.

According to the report of the American Cancer Society, approximately 3% of cancer patients in the United States are suffering from Pancreatic Cancer. A report in 2018 estimates that around 55,440 people were diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.  

The Pancreas contains two glands that create pancreatic juice, insulin and hormones. These two glands are known as endocrine glands and exocrine glands. Pancreatic cancer can affect either the exocrine or endocrine gland.

Depending upon the affected gland, Pancreatic Cancer can be categorised as:

Exocrine Pancreatic Cancer:

The exocrine glands produce enzymes or juices that are helpful for the process of fat, carbohydrates and protein digestion. In Exocrine Pancreatic Cancer, the tumor affects the functions of the exocrine gland. This is one of the most common types of Pancreatic Cancer.

The tumors in this type of cancer are:

• Malignant

• Benign

• Adenocarcinomas

• Acinar cell carcinoma

• Giant cell carcinomas

• Adenosquamous carcinomas

• Ampullary cancer

• Squamous cell carcinomas

Endocrine Pancreatic Cancer:

The endocrine glands are the cluster of cells called islets of Langerhans. These glands release glucagon and insulin hormones into the bloodstream. These glands manage the level of blood sugar. When tumors affect the functionality of endocrine gland, it is known as endocrine Pancreatic Cancer. This type of Pancreatic Cancer is uncommon.

The tumors in this type of cancer are:

• Insulinomas (insulin)

• Gastrinomas (gastrin)

• Glucagonomas (glucagon)

• VIPomas (vasoactive intestinal peptide or VIP)

• Somatostatinomas (somatostatin)

Causes of Pancreatic Cancer:

The causes of Pancreatic Cancer are still unknown. However, according to many recent studies, there are several risk factors identified which may arise or grow a pancreatic tumor.

These risk factors include:

• Genetics

• Diabetes

• Smoking

• Obesity

• Pancreatic Cysts

• Chronic pancreatitis

• Lifestyle and diet changes

• Lycopene

• Selenium

• Environmental toxins

Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer:

Pancreatic Cancer is often known as silent disease and usually, a person does not observe any symptoms at an early stage. However, when cancer grows, a person may observe the following symptoms:

• Pain in the upper abdomen

• Problems with the bile duct and liver

• Jaundice that leads to a painless yellowing of the eyes and skin and darkening of the urine.

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Weakness

• Grey or pale fatty stool

• Dizziness

• Chills

• Muscle spasms

• Diarrhea

Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer:

The treatment option totally depends upon the type of cancer, stage of cancer, a person's health status, age and other characteristics and individual's personal choices. However, in most of the cases, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are recommended.

These treatment options aim to provide relief from the painful symptoms and remove the cancerous cells.

Surgery:

If the cancerous cells are limited to only one part of the pancreas, surgery is considered as the best option. In surgery, the affected part of the pancreas is removed to restrict the cells to grow further. The surgery includes Whipple Procedure (when the head of the pancreas is affected), Distal Pancreatectomy (when the tail of the pancreas is affected), Total Pancreatectomy (when both head and tail of the pancreas is affected), and Palliative surgery (an option when it is not possible to remove cancerous cell from pancreas).

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy is a type of medication which interferes the growth of cancerous cell process. These medications help to destroy the cells and control the spreading process. In chemotherapy, doctors introduce new drugs into the body to destroy the cancerous cell.

Radiation:

Radiation therapy aims to destroy cancerous cells by passing high-energy rays. It may also shrink the tumor and bound the growth of the cancer cell.

Prevention:

According to the American Cancer Society, there is no specific way for the prevention of Pancreatic Cancer. However, avoiding several activities, one can lower the risk of it. A few of them are as follows:

• Quit smoking

• Keeping a healthy weight

• Exercising

• Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains

• Consuming less red meat

Take Away:

Manohar Parrikar was one of the top leaders who served and contributed to the development of Goa, as well as the country in his role as Defense Minister. On his demise, several leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh tweeted condolences and will be in Goa for his last rites.