Familial pancreatic cancer
Other Names: Hereditary pancreatic carcinoma; Familial pancreatic carcinoma; Hereditary pancreatic cancer
Familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) is the occurrence of pancreatic cancer in two or more first-degree relatives (parent and child, or two siblings). It is sometimes referred to as FPC only when there is not a known hereditary cancer syndrome in an affected family. In familial cases, pancreatic cancer often occurs before age 50 (earlier than other forms of pancreatic cancer). In 60% of cases it occurs within the head of the pancreas.
Cause[edit | edit source]
A specific genetic cause of FPC (in the absence of a known syndrome) has not been identified.Familial cases of pancreatic cancer due to hereditary conditions may be caused by mutations in any of several genes. Individuals who carry a mutation in one of these genes are often at an increased risk of other types of cancers as well. Currently, only 10-20% of families with FPC will have a mutation identified by genetic testing.
Increased risk of pancreatic cancer is now known to be associated with several inherited syndromes for which the predisposing genes have been identified, including BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, mismatch repair genes associated with Lynch syndrome, and hereditary pancreatitis-related genes, PRSS1 and SPINK2.
Inheritance[edit | edit source]
In many cases, inheritance of FPC is autosomal dominant; in some cases, is may be multifactorial. It is important to note that pancreatic cancer itself is not inherited, but a genetic predisposition to developing cancer is inherited.
Signs and symptoms[edit | edit source]
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer are generally non-specific and may include pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to the back; loss of appetite; significant weight loss; and jaundice due to bile duct obstruction. Pancreatic cancer often goes undetected until the advanced stages of the disease, and rapid tumor growth and metastasis are common.
For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. 100% of people have these symptoms
- Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
- Abdominal pain(Pain in stomach)
- Anorexia
- Back pain
- Chronic fatigue(Chronic extreme exhaustion)
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency(Inability to properly digest food due to lack of pancreatic digestive enzymes)
- Poor appetite(Decreased appetite)
- Weight loss
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
- Extrahepatic cholestasis
- Functional intestinal obstruction
- Intestinal pseudo-obstruction
- Jaundice(Yellow skin)
- Lymphadenopathy(Swollen lymph nodes)
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
- Breast carcinoma(Breast cancer)
- Colon cancer
- Diabetes mellitus
- Elevated hepatic transaminase(High liver enzymes)
- Hepatosplenomegaly(Enlarged liver and spleen)
- Intermittent diarrhea
- Melanoma
- Nausea and vomiting
- Neoplasm of the liver(Liver cancer)
- Ovarian carcinoma
- Peritoneal abscess
Diagnosis[edit | edit source]
FPC will have a mutation identified by genetic testing.
Treatment[edit | edit source]
Treatment may include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy. Resection is the only potential cure, but most patients have advanced, non-resectable tumors by the time of diagnosis.
NIH genetic and rare disease info[edit source]
Familial pancreatic cancer is a rare disease.
Familial pancreatic cancer Resources | |
---|---|
|
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Deepika vegiraju