Blood
Due to a non-specific activation of the immune system, pancreatic cancer leads to a slight increase of so-called inflammation markers in the blood. For example, the number of defence cells (leukocytes), the CRP value and the blood sedimentation rate may be above normal. Occasionally, tumours can also lead to an increased tendency for blood clots to form (thrombosis), which then causes problems of its own, such as phlebitis (thrombophlebitis migrans), swelling (oedema) or a pulmonary embolism due to carry-over of the clot. The tumour can also cause a so-called concomitant inflammation of the pancreas, which in turn leads to a considerable increase in the inflammation values in the blood, but also attracts attention through a relevant increase in the concentration in the blood of pancreas own enzymes (especially the so-called lipase value).
Signs of the terminal stage of pancreatic cancer
What makes pancreatic cancer so dangerous is that, due to the relatively late onset of strong and clearly attributable signs, early detection of the disease is very rare. As a rule, pancreatic cancer is either discovered by chance or only reveals itself in the final stage through corresponding symptoms. The tumour is then already quite large, and very often has already spread (metastasised).
Therefore, the chances of cure are usually low. As the severity of the disease increases, so do the symptoms. However, palliative measures can alleviate the patient’s suffering in the final stage of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer reaches stage III when the tumour grows into large branches of the aorta (Truncus coeliacus or superior mesenteric artery), and stage IV when the tumour has spread via the bloodstream (haematogenic metastasis).
