Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging forms of an already difficult disease. Despite relatively low incidence levels, it ranks seventh among causes of global cancer deaths in industrialized countries and was the third most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States in 2020.
Because patients seldom experience symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage, pancreatic cancer remains challenging to treat successfully. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, 80 percent of cases aren’t diagnosed until later, difficult-to-treat stages. Thus, despite advancements in detection and management, the five-year survival rate is still only 5 to 10 percent.
What Are the Common Types of Pancreatic Cancer?
There are two categories of pancreatic cancer—those that affect the exocrine cells in the pancreas and those that affect the endocrine cells. Exocrine cells are glands that secrete hormones and other substances through ducts in the body, whereas endocrine cells secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. The pancreas has both types of cells.Exocrine Pancreatic Cancers
- Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: This is the most prevalent form of pancreatic cancer, accounting for about 90 percent of all diagnoses. It affects the exocrine cells in the pancreas ducts that produce digestive enzymes.
- Squamous cell carcinoma: This extremely rare cancer forms in the pancreatic ducts from squamous cells not naturally present in the pancreas. This type is so rare that there have not been enough reported cases for its origins to be wholly understood. Rarely discovered early, it has a very poor prognosis.
- Adenosquamous carcinoma: Accounting for 1 to 4 percent of exocrine pancreatic cancers, this rare pancreatic cancer presents elements of both ductal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Compared to adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma is more aggressive and has a poorer prognosis.
- Colloid carcinoma: Comprising only 1 to 3 percent of exocrine cases, this rare form typically develops from a particular type of benign cyst, an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). Because a pancreatic colloid tumor consists of malignant cells suspended in a gelatinous substance known as mucin, it spreads more slowly, is easier to treat than other pancreatic cancers, and has a much better prognosis.
