Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of this organ, located horizontally in the abdomen behind the lower part of the stomach, and usually spreads rapidly to neighboring organs.
It is rarely detected in its early stages, but for people with pancreatic cysts or a family history of pancreatic cancer, some screening steps may help detect the problem early.
One sign of pancreatic cancer is diabetes, especially when it occurs with weight loss, jaundice, or pain in the upper abdomen that spreads to the back.