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Encyclopedia of Cancer pp 1–7Cite as

Pancreatic Cancer Basic and Clinical Parameters

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Definition

Epithelial malignancies of the pancreatic gland that originate in more than 85 % from ductal cells. In rare cases, tumors may also arise from acinar or endocrine cells.

Characteristics

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive human malignancies reflected by a mortality rate which closely follows that of the incidence. Its incidence is steadily increasing, and today it is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the western hemisphere. Most patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the late course of the disease with unspecific symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, jaundice, and upper abdominal pain. At this stage pancreatic cancer frequently has invaded surrounding organs such as the duodenum and stomach and the retroperitoneal tissue and blood vessels (Fig. 1). Lymph node metastases occur in most cases and reflect a high metastatic potential.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) picture. The MRI depicts a huge mass in the...

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References

  • Baumgart M, Heinmöller E, Horstmann O et al (2005) The genetic basis of sporadic pancreatic cancer. Cell Oncol 27:3–13

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  • Klöppel G (1997) Pathology and classification of tumors of the exocrine pancreas. In: Trede M, Carter DC (eds) Surgery of the pancreas. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany

    Jochen Gaedche & B. Michael Ghadimi

Authors
  1. Jochen Gaedche
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  2. B. Michael Ghadimi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Michael Ghadimi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gaedche, J., Ghadimi, B.M. (2014). Pancreatic Cancer Basic and Clinical Parameters. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4357-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4357-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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