While great progress has been made in cancer research in recent decades, much about pancreatic cancer remains relatively unknown.
The pancreas is an oblong-shaped organ lying behind the stomach that helps the body to digest food and regulate blood sugar. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include weight loss, abdominal pain, poor appetite, jaundice and sudden onset or worsening of diabetes.
However, due to their vague nature and the fact that symptoms typically don't show up until the disease is in the advanced stages, it is very hard to catch this cancer early. Because of this, long-term survival rates are abysmally low.