Former England football boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, revealing he he has “best case a year” to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He told Swedish Radio P1: “I’m going to resist for as long as I can. I have an illness that’s serious. Best case a year, I have worst case a lot less. It’s impossible to say exactly, so it’s better to not think about it.”
According to ESPN, Mr Eriksson has said he has pancreatic cancer.
Here, Express.co.uk takes a look at the risk factors, symptoms and treatment for the ‘silent killer’ cancer.
The pancreas is found in the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach. It produces and releases insulin into the blood, which controls blood sugar.
It also secretes enzymes into the intestine, which helps to digest food.
Pancreatice cancer can occur when normal cells in the organ develop the ability to grow in an uncontrolled way, and spread to other parts of the body. These grow into a mass or a tumour, which can impact the normal function of the pancreas.
It can then spread outside the pancrease to lymph nodes or other organs – most commonly, the liver.
“Risk factors” refers to characteristics or habits that increase the chance of developing a disease. Having them does not mean you will necessarily develop the disease – while not having them does not guarantee you will not get it. However, it can be worth knowing what they are in order to gie yourself the best chance of avoiding the disease.
For pancreatic cancer, risk factors include:
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Obesity
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Smoking
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Having diabetes or chronic pancreatitis (inflammation or swelling of the pancreas)
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Having family members with pancreatic cancer, diabetes or chronic pancreatitis
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Certain hereditary conditions, including Lynch syndrome and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndromes – which are also known as BRCA1 and 2 mutations.
No symptoms are specific to pancreatic cancer, and many patients do not develop symptoms, with the cancer often found by chance on tests done for different reasons.
However, some with the disease do develop symptoms that could be a sign of having pancreatic cancer. For Mr Eriksson, he was diagnosed after having five “small strokes.”
Possible symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:
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Jaundice – yellowing of the eyes and skin, which can also lead to itching
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Light-colored stools and dark-colored urine
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Abdominal or back pain. This can be worse after eating, or when lying down
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Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
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Diarrhea or oily-looking stools
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Diabetes
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Fatigue or feeling very tired
If you have any of these symptoms, it is worth speaking to a doctor. These could lead your doctor to order further testing to find pancreatic cancer or a different medical issue.
The disease can be difficult to detect due to the lack of physical signs or problems, and its symptoms are often shared by other common issues such as heartburn or back problem. It also can’t be detected with routine tests such as X-rays or blood tests.
However, symptoms or abnormal blood tests can prompt your doctor to order more testing. If there is a tumor in the pancreas, it is best detected with a CT scan an MRI or an endoscopic ultrasound – a specialized type of ultrasound done from inside the stomach.
If such a scan raises suspicion of the disease, a biopsy is recommended, during which a doctor will obtain a piece of the tumour and send it to a pathologist.Sometimes more than one biopsy will be necessary.
Treatment can involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and supportive care, but will depend on where the cancer is located, what size and type it is, if it has spread, and your overall health.
If it is found early, surgery can be performed to remove it. If it cannot be removed, treatment is available to control some of the symptoms.
In cases of advanced pancreatic cancer, the aim of the treatment will be to limit the cancer and its symptoms, and help the patient live longer.
