Step One: Learn the Facts

With so much content at our fingertips, quick access to clear and accurate information is key.

It’s important to understand the pancreas, how it functions, and how pancreatic cancer affects your body. By learning these facts, you can better advocate for yourself and determine your next steps.

What is the Pancreas?

The pancreas is a small, deep-seated gland that plays a vital role in digestion and regulates blood sugar through insulin and glucagon. Because of it’s deep location, it makes tumors rarely detectable early. Symptoms often do not appear until the disease grows or begins affecting nearby organs such as the stomach, liver, or gallbladder.

To visualize its position, imagine placing your hand in the center of your belly just below your lower ribs, with fingers pointing to your left—your hand roughly matches the pancreas’s shape and location.

What Does the Pancreas Do?

The pancreas has two main functions. As an endocrine gland, it produces hormones like insulin and glucagon, which work together to keep blood sugar levels balanced. Most of the pancreas is exocrine, producing digestive enzymes that help break down food in the small intestine. A healthy pancreas releases enzymes at the right time to properly digest and absorb nutrients, supporting overall body function.

For a much more thorough explanation, please visit the Pathology Department at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

What is Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer develops when abnormal cells grow in the pancreas. These cells form a tumor that can interfere with normal function and cause serious digestive problems or diabetes. Prognosis and treatment depend on the tumor’s type, stage, and location.

In the United States, about 67,530 new cases are expected to be diagnosed and approximately 52,740 people are expected to die from the disease, and it remains one of the leading causes of cancer death. (American Cancer Society, 2026).

For more details, visit the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, supported in part by Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.

Types of Pancreatic Cancer

Staging cancer is a standardized method of classifying a tumor based on its location, size, and spread. Staging allows doctors to evaluate a patient’s prognosis and determine the most appropriate course of treatment.

Early-stage cancers offer more surgical options than later-stage cancers. In some later-stage cases, surgeons cannot fully remove the cancer, though doctors may still use other treatments. In general, early-stage cancers also have a more favorable prognosis.

Stage 1

Stage 1A:
Tumor is limited to the pancreas and measures 2 centimeters (cm) or less at its largest point.

Stage 1B:
Tumor is limited to the pancreas and measures greater than 2 cm.

Stage 2

Stage 2A:
Tumor extends directly beyond the pancreas, but does not involve the major local arteries (celiac axis and superior mesenteric artery) or local lymph nodes.

Stage 2B:
Tumor may or may not extend beyond the pancreas, but does not involve the major local arteries. Local lymph nodes are involved.

Stage 3

The tumor involves major local arteries. Cancer may or may not have spread to nearby lymph nodes.

Stage 4

Primary tumor may be any size. Disease has metastasized (spread) to another part of the body, such as the liver, abdominal wall, lungs and/or distant lymph nodes.

ROLFE PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION

Alyssa Weiner, YPB Member

Corey Goldberg, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Advocate

Dr. Alex Muir, Assistant Professor of Ben May Department of Cancer Research, University of Chicago

Whitney Goldin, Rolfe Board Member

Annie Betti, Rolfe Community Member