Purple:
The journey of Shirley’s Angel Foundation began in 2010 after the loss of my Grandmother, Shirley A. Singletary to a brief but courageous fight with Pancreatic Cancer. After losing the battle, we wanted to bring awareness to the public about how this disease took the life of our loved one and also share important information about the disease.
What is Pancreatic Cancer?
Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas — an organ in your abdomen that lies horizontally behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of sugars. Pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed early.
Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it’s the 4th leading cause of cancer death. Signs and symptoms may not appear until pancreatic cancer is quite advanced and surgical removal isn’t possible.
Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer often don’t occur until the disease is advanced. When signs and symptoms do appear, they may include:
Upper abdominal pain that may radiate to your back
Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Depression
Blood clots
Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factors are broken down into the acronym P.O.D.S.
P.O.D.S–
Pancreatitis
Inflammation of the pancreas
Obesity
Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than he or she burns. For many
people this boils down to eating too much and exercising too little. But there are other factors that also play a role in obesity.
Diabetes
Pancreatic Cancer is two times more likely to occur in people who have diabetes than in
people who do not have diabetes, eight times higher when the new development of
diabetes occurs after age 50. About 80% of Pancreatic Cancer
patients have diabetes.
Smoking
The effect of smoking on your pancreas may put you at risk for digestive disorders
Or cancer.
Studies have shown that Pancreatic Cancer is more prevalent in African Americans. The incidence of Pancreatic Cancer is 50 to 90% higher in African Americans than in any other ethnicity in the United States.
Cancer of the pancreas is more common in men than women. Men are 20% more likely to have Pancreatic Cancer than women.
For more information on Pancreatic Cancer, please visit our website at www.shirleysangelfoundation.org.
Be Purple, Be Aware.