Stage 2 Cancer
Characteristics Of Stage 2 Pancreatic Cancer
Stage 2 of pancreatic cancer is characterized by the spread of cancer to the nearby tissues and the organs next to the pancreas. This stage can also be sub-divided into two stages, Stage2 A is characterized by spread of the growth of the cancerous tissues to the organs and tissues besides pancreas, but it has not yet made any inroads inside the lymph nodes.
Stage 2B is characterized spread of the tentacles of the cancerous cells to the nearby lymph nodes as also the tissues and organs situated nearby the pancreas.
This is the stage during which the surgery is most effective, provided it has been diagnosed and the level of spread has been clearly mapped out. This however comes with a caveat that the surgery can be performed only on those patients who are physically fit otherwise to endure the pain and post-operative trauma of surgery. However, if it in Stage2B, then conductance of surgery to remove out the malignant tissue becomes a non-entity. This is the stage which is also traumatic for the patients when they come to realize that the tumor as spread and it cannot be removed by surgical operation. It is in such a situation that the near and a dear ones have to stand solidly behind the patient and do not allow him to slip into remorse.
If it is diagnosed that the cancer spreading its tentacles has blocked the bile duct or the bowel, then surgery can be performed to remove the blockage so that the pain can be lessened.
During this stage chemotherapy is also one of the courses of diagnosis, which can be done in numerous number of ways. Chemotherapy can be resorted to after conductance of surgery, if the surgery is for detection of the tumor of a smaller length so that the tumor may not grow again.
Chemotherapy is also utilized for shrinking the cancerous growth around the pancreas, or else to treat the liver which might have been affected by cancer. In those cases where the growth is still localized to areas around pancreas, then a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be administered or else they may be given separately.
As pancreatic cancer is a cancer in which the research still is growing and lots of diagnosis is still to be found, the patients in consultation with the doctors may also be asked to participate in a clinical trial of a new drug or a new line of treatment. This is done on the second stage, as the cancer has already set in, and the new prices may turn out to be the manna from the heaven for the patient and other patients who are in such stage.
The new trials are done as the treatment of pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat if detected in second stage as also difficult to control for the same reason.