Raising awareness of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer affects men and women in the same way. Someone with pancreatic cancer may not have all the symptoms listed, and symptoms can vary for each person. 

What are the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer?

Common signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer:

Indigestion

Indigestion causes a painful, burning feeling in your chest, upper tummy or throat. It can also leave a bitter, unpleasant taste in your mouth.

Indigestion can be a symptom of pancreatic cancer, but it can also be a symptom of more common problems. 

Tummy pain or back pain

Tummy pain or back pain, or sometimes both, are common symptoms of pancreatic cancer. The pain may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the upper tummy area and spread to the back.

Some people have no pain at all, and pain can vary from person to person. For example, it may come and go at first but become more constant over time. It can be worse when lying down. Sitting forward can sometimes make it feel better. It may be worse after eating.

Changes to your poo

Pancreatic cancer can cause diarrhoea (runny poo) and constipation (when you find it harder to poo). If you have diarrhoea for more than 7 days and you don’t know why, contact your GP or call NHS 111. Your GP may do blood and poo tests. If you have lost weight and have diarrhoea or constipation, your GP should refer you for an urgent scan.

Pancreatic cancer can also cause pale, oily poo. This is called steatorrhoea. Poo may be pale, oily, smell worse than normal, and be difficult to flush down the toilet. This is caused by fat in the poo. It happens if pancreatic cancer has affected your digestion, so that fat in your food isn’t digested properly.

Weight loss

Losing a lot of weight without meaning to can be a symptom of pancreatic cancer. The pancreas plays an important role in digesting food and controlling your blood sugar levels. Pancreatic cancer can affect this and cause weight loss.

Your GP should refer you to have an urgent scan if you have lost weight and have any of the following symptoms:

• tummy or back pain
• feeling sick or being sick
• diarrhoea (runny poo)
• constipation (when you find it harder to poo)
• or you have been diagnosed with diabetes in the last year.

Jaundice

Signs of jaundice include yellow skin and eyes. Yellow skin may be less obvious if you have brown or black skin, but you may notice the white part of your eyes looks yellow. You can see photographs of jaundice on the NHS website.

Jaundice can also cause dark pee, pale poo and itchy skin. Some people also feel sick, lose weight, lose their appetite or feel tired. Pancreatic cancer can cause jaundice by blocking the bile duct. The bile duct is the tube that takes bile from the liver to the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). Bile is a fluid made by the liver to help digest food.

Jaundice can be caused by other non-cancerous conditions such as gallstones and hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), or other cancers.

If you think you have jaundice, go to your GP or A&E straight away.

Other signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer