What is the Difference Between Pancreatitis &Pancreatic cancer?

Question

My grandpa is 88 years old and the Dr's are not sure if he has Pancreatitis or Pancreatic cancer. I know one is Cancer but I need to know more about them both.

Please Dont Copy and Paste from wikipedia. I dont need information from that site.

Please dont just say look it up. I just heard about it and am not really in the mood to look things up

Answer 1

I had pancreatitis once, in 2005, when I was 36. Pancreatitis is basically an infection of the pancreas, which can be helped with antibiotics and a saline IV. Pancreatic cancer can kill a person quickly; my grandmother was diagnosed with it in April 1984 and died in early June of that same year. At first, she was diagnosed as just diabetic and jaundiced. When my mother and uncles learned her condition was terminal, they opted to have her not undergo surgery, and my grandmother died in her own home at age 78.

I pray your grandfather has only pancreatitis, which can be cured. Pancreatic cancer takes a person very quickly, as the pancreas is the organ that produces insulin for your body.

Answer 2

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, sometimes caused by fatty foods or alcohol consumption. I think that pancreatitis can cause similar symptoms to pancreatic cancer and that pancreatitis can be somewhat difficult to diagnose. If it is cancer, they should be able to run some blood tests and CT scans and/or MRIs to try and diagnose it. However, pancreatic cancer is not always an easy diagnosis to make either, so you might have to wait a little bit before the doctors can tell you what's going on.

The better prognosis would be with pancreatitis-that can be treated for the most part. Pancreatic cancer has a pretty dismal prognosis-less than a 5% survival rate and any treatment is usually aimed at pain-relief rather than a cure. Try not to worry until you know what your dealing with--easier said than done, I know.

Answer 3

Pancreatitis Or Pancreatic Cancer

Answer 4

Simple Pancreatitis is an infection that can be arrested and cured with antibiotics while Pancreatic cancer is incurable and terminal, my mom died at age 58 from Pancreatic cancer within six months of being diagnosed.

Answer 5

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An enlarged head of the pancreas can be a sign of either acute or chronic inflammation (pancreatitis) or neoplasm. Previous episodes of pancreatitis can cause pancreatic pseudocysts which can arise in and enlarge the head of the pancreas. This area can be evaluated with CT, MRI or Ultrasound.

Answer 6

Well as far as i can explain in layman's term, pancreatitis is just an inflammation of the pancreas generally because of the damage in what they call biliary tract (the gallbladder and its ducts) by alcohol, trauma or some infectious disease. And pancreatic cancer is a cancer in the pancreas.

Answer 7

pancreatitis is just an inflammation of the pancreas..it's not terminal and can be treated with medicine. pancreatic cancer I'm sorry to say is fatal....usually by the time it is diagnosed..patients rarely live beyond a year. I'm hoping for your grandpa it is just an inflammation.

Answer 8

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas

Pancreatic Cancer mean there is a tumor in the pancreas.

Answer 9

Pancreatitis is and inflamed pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is when a lump of mutated cells are growing in his pancreas. Both can kill you if not treated. The doctor should know enough information about both.

Answer 10

Pancreatic cancer, primarily ductal adenocarcinoma, accounts for about 30,500 cases and 29,700 deaths in the US annually. Symptoms include weight loss, abdominal pain, and jaundice. Diagnosis is by CT. Treatment is surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Prognosis is poor because disease is often advanced at the time of diagnosis.
Chronic pancreatitis is persistent inflammation of the pancreas that results in permanent structural damage with fibrosis and ductal strictures, followed by a decline in exocrine and endocrine function. It can occur as the result of chronic alcohol abuse but may be idiopathic. Initial symptoms are recurrent attacks of pain. Later in the disease, some patients develop malabsorption and glucose intolerance. Diagnosis is usually made by imaging studies such as ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound, or secretin pancreatic function testing. Treatment is supportive, with dietary modification, analgesics, and enzyme supplements. In some cases, surgery is helpful.
Please see the web pages for more details on Pancreatic cancer and Pancreatitis.