CANCER, PANCREATIC

Cancer of the organ which produces many juices that are important for digesting food as well as hormones, such as insulin and glucagon. Pancreatic cancer has been called a "silent" disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause symptoms. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct and bile cannot pass into the digestive system, the skin and whites of the eyes may become yellow, and the urine darker as a result of accumulated bile pigment called bilirubin. This condition is referred to as jaundice.