What Is The Pathology Of Pancreas Cancer?
Pathology relates to the study of a certain disease through examining different muscles, tissues, and organs in the body. Some diseases can even be identified based on their pathology. Certain medical doctors even specialize in pathology of many diseases, or one disease alone. One of those specialities is the pathology of pancreas cancer. Pancreas cancer refers to a malignant tumor in the pancreas of the body. This tumor develops in the pancreas and begins pressing against the wall of the organ. It can also grow large enough to block off the main bile duct, which causes jaundice to set it. Jaundice is typically found later, after the disease has already progressed. All of these things were discovered by using pathology. The Johns Hopkins University has one of the largest pathology departments in the world, relating to the study of pancreas cancer. At Johns Hopkins, they study the disease, trying to find a cause for it and hoping to uncover a cure for the disease. According to the pathology department at Johns Hopkins, there is no known cure for pancreas cancer. There is however something that can be done that is especially helpful during the early stages of the disease. A surgery can be used to remove part of, or all of, the cancerous tumor. Once the disease has progressed, this surgery isn’t as helpful as it once could have been. There are also some individuals who cannot undergo the surgery for a variety of reasons. The pathology department at Johns Hopkins has also labeled the symptoms of pancreas cancer, beyond the appearance of jaundice. One symptom of pancreas cancer found through pathology is a feeling of depression, and some of the side effects associated with depression including a loss of appetite and weight loss. An individual who suffers from this type of cancer may begin to feel lethargic, and depressed. As the disease progresses, they might also notice that they are eating less, and in turn, losing weight. The problem of course is that many people do not seek medical attention for this problem. Instead they see themselves as losing weight, and think it is a good thing. Some assume they are eating less for a variety of reasons, and the weight will eventually settle back onto their bodies. The pathology of pancreas cancer is still fairly unknown. There have not been as many studies done on this type of cancer as there have been others such as breast cancer, or lung cancer. Even the general public doesn’t necessarily understand the way the pathology of pancreas cancer works. The disease itself is fairly unknown in regards to other forms of cancer, which lead to less studies, and less money to fund these studies. The pathology department as Johns Hopkins University is just one of several institutes devoted to learning more about pancreas cancer. Hopefully with more research, the disease will become more known. That can lead to more funding, and that may lead to discovering a cure for pancreas cancer.
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