Take Control of Your Health! Early Warning Signs of Pancreatic Cancer You Should Be Looking Out For

Pancreatic cancer stealthily robbed us of Alex Trebek, Patrick Swayze and millions of Americans because it almost always goes undetected until it has advanced to an incurable stage.

The early signs are easy to miss and many of them are more likely to be caused by other conditions, making it tough to catch early while successful treatment is possible. These are some signs to look for.

Yellowing of the eyes and skin is one of the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer. It’s caused by the buildup of bilirubin, a dark yellow-brown substance made in the liver. Normally, the liver releases a liquid called bile, which contains bilirubin. Bile goes through the common bile duct into the intestines and leaves the body in the stool When the common bile duct becomes blocked because of cancer tumors pressing on it, bile can’t reach the intestines and the amount of bilirubin in the body builds up.

Sometimes, the first sign of jaundice is darker urine, which becomes brown in color.

Bilirubin normally gives stools their brown color. If the bile duct is blocked, they might be light brown or gray.

When bilirubin builds up in the skin, it can itch as well as turn yellow.

Cancer that starts in the body or tail of the pancreas can grow and start to press on other nearby organs, causing pain. The cancer may also spread to nerves surrounding the pancreas, which often causes back pain.

People developing cancer often have little or no appetite.

If the cancer presses on the far end of the stomach it can partly block it, making it hard for food to get through. This can cause nausea, vomiting and pain that tends to be worse after eating.

If the cancer blocks the bile duct, bile can build up in the gallbladder, making it larger. Sometimes a doctor can feel this as a large lump under the right side of the rib cage during an exam.

Sometimes, the first clue of pancreatic cancer is a blood clot in a large vein, often in the leg — a deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness and warmth in the affected leg.

Rarely, pancreatic cancer causes diabetes (high blood sugar) because it destroys insulin-making cells. Symptoms can include feeling hungry and thirsty, and urinating often.