Despite being the UK’s fifth deadliest cancer, pancreatic cancer is still quite often dubbed ‘the silent killer’ because patients often aren’t aware of symptoms until the cancer spreads to surrounding organs.
However, Pancreatic Cancer UK have highlighted a symptom for people to look out for: stools that smell ‘horrible’ and won’t flush down the toilet.
These stools are often unusually pale in colour, and appear bulky and greasy due to fat content – causing them to float to the top of the toilet bowl.
The foul odour is from the fatty element of steatorrhoea which produces a very distinctive smell of volatile organic compounds. These chemicals can be a key part of helping doctors to detect the cancer at a much earlier stage.
This is especially hopeful news given that researchers found that 36% of pancreatic cancer deaths could have been avoidable if the disease was discovered sooner.
What is Pancreatic Cancer?
So, the pancreas is a gland that produces digestive juices and hormones. Pancreatic cancer is when abnormal cells in the pancreas start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way, causing a cancerous tumour.
Pancreatic cancer kills around 9,600 people a year in the UK - equalling around 26 people per day.
What Are the Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer?
According to Cancer Research UK, common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are:
- Stomach or back pain
- Jaundice
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bowel changes
However, there are other symptoms to look out for:
- Indigestion
- Sickness
- Itching
- Fever and shivering
- Blood clots
The most serious symptoms of the disease are jaundice and bleeding in the stomach or intestine.
What Causes Pancreatic Cancer?
As with many cancers, it’s hard to define exactly what causes pancreatic cancer and doctors don’t have a definitive answer to this question but there are some factors that can put you at a higher risk including:
- Being older - pancreatic cancer is uncommon in anybody under 40 and almost half of all diagnosed patients are age 75 and over
- 20% of cases of pancreatic cancer in the UK are caused by smoking tobacco
- 10% of cases of pancreatic cancer are caused by being overweight or obese
- Familial heritage – if somebody you are related to has suffered with pancreatic cancer, you are more likely to
What To Do If You Have Any of These Symptoms?
First of all, remember that these symptoms can be symptomatic of many other conditions and until there’s a firm diagnosis, try to not worry. However, if you have noticed changes in your abdomen or your bowel movements, speak to your doctor as soon as possible.