Doctor lists six early warning signs of pancreatic cancer

Medical specialist Dr. Priyam Bordoloi has outlined six early warning signs of pancreatic cancer, a disease often called a "silent" condition because it produces few clear symptoms in its initial stages. In a social media post, the physician listed persistent pain radiating from the upper abdomen to the back, rapid and unexplained weight loss, and the sudden onset of type 2 diabetes in people with no prior risk factors among the indicators to watch for. Bordoloi also pointed to sudden blood clots that can cause throbbing pain in the leg muscles, unexplained diarrhea or constipation accompanied by pale, oily stools that float in water, and jaundice, recognized by yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. The pancreas produces enzymes involved in digesting fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and when a tumor disrupts that function, the body cannot absorb nutrients properly, accelerating weight loss, according to the specialist. Cancer cells can also release substances that speed up metabolism, she added. Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, with roughly three-quarters of patients dying within a year of diagnosis. Bordoloi said delayed detection often allows the tumor to progress to a stage where surgical removal is no longer possible.