About 620 people a year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Ireland. It develops when abnormal cells in the pancreas - an organ that sits in the top part of your tummy and helps you digest food and make hormones - grow out of control and form a tumour.
It's often labelled a "silent killer" as most people don't experience any symptoms at all until the cancer has spread to surrounding organs.
Health experts have warned about the tell-tale signs that can appear in a person's stool, as when a pancreatic duct becomes blocked by a tumour there are insufficient pancreatic juices in the intestines.
READ MORE: People stunned after learning what WC actually stands for - and real meaning of 'the jacks'
The Columbia University Department of Surgery explains: “Insufficient pancreatic juices in the intestines can lead to poor absorption and diarrhoea, as the undigested food passes quickly through the digestive tract. If this happens, stool may float due to the higher fat content, appear bulky, greasy, and unusually pale.”
According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, most pancreatic cancer patients experience diarrhoea, constipation or both.
The UK charity said: “Diarrhoea consisting of loose, watery, oily or foul-smelling stools can be caused by insufficient amounts of pancreatic enzymes in the intestines.
“This leads to malabsorption as undigested food passes quickly through the digestive tract. Constipation is also a common problem, particularly among patients taking pain medications."
If the digestive system is working too slowly, the stool may become hard, dry and difficult to pass.
The Pancreatic Cancer UK Organisation also highlights that the stool may be hard to flush down the toilet and “smell horrible”.
The foul odour apparently stems from the fatty element of steatorrhoea, which produces a distinctive smell of volatile organic compounds. These chemicals, which contain carbon and are found in all living things, can help doctors detect pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage.
A 2021 study identified additional symptoms of pancreatic cancer that can show up a year before diagnosis, including dark urine and thirst.
Though dark urine is now recognised as a sign of the disease, it’s important to note that foul-smelling urine is not.
Both yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and bleeding in the stomach or intestine are also seen as the two most serious symptoms associated with the disease.
Other symptoms included:
Problems swallowing
Diarrhoea
Change in bowel habits
Vomiting
Indigestion
Abdominal mass
Abdominal pain
Weight loss
Constipation
Fat in stool
Abdominal swelling
Nausea
Flatulence
Heartburn
Fever
Tiredness
Appetite loss
Itching
Back pain.
The Irish Cancer Society added: "Sometimes there may be no signs or symptoms in the early stages of pancreatic cancer. All these symptoms can be caused by other common conditions, but it’s important to go to the GP and get any unusual changes checked."
There is no national screening programme for pancreatic cancer as it is not a common cancer in Ireland and there is no single test to diagnose it, however anyone worried about their risk of pancreatic cancer should talk to their family doctor.
Anyone with a strong family history of pancreatic disease or cancer or who has one of the genes that increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, should talk to their GP about screening. Screening can include a CT scan, or MRI scan and an EUS (endoscopic ultrasound) every three years.
Dr Weiqi Liao, data scientist at the University of Oxford, said: “When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed earlier, patients have a higher chance of survival.
“It is possible to diagnose patients when they visit their GP, but both patients and GPs need to be aware of the symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer.”
READ NEXT:
- New Annie McCarrick murder suspect 'lived in same Dublin neighbourhood' as digs may begin in days
- David Haye adds new girlfriend to throuple one month after Una Healy split
- Ian Bailey could be left homeless as eviction ban lifted - but ex 'certainly won’t take him in'
- Irish Lidl shopper left baffled as mystery three-letter code found written on blueberry
- Ryanair flight mistake you make every time you book - and secret to getting best seat
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
