Your Pancreas & Pancreatic Cancer

The pancreas is a small six-inch organ that lies in the abdomen between the stomach and the spine. Its role is to release digestive juices or pancreatic enzymes so that we can digest our food in the small intestine. The pancreas also plays a role in regulation of blood sugar levels by releasing insulin and glucagon. Pancreatic cancer impacts digestion significantly by reducing the production of digestive enzymes needed to increase absorption of nutrients. Malabsorption often occurs in pancreatic cancer patients. Blood sugar levels can also be elevated due to the pancreas's reduced ability to produce insulin.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2024, it is estimated that 66,440 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States and more than 51,750 patients will die from the disease. More than 92% of pancreatic cancer cases are pancreatic adenocarcinoma or PDAC¹. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is often diagnosed at an advanced stage after it has metastasized and is resistant to therapy. The prognosis is poor, with overall 1- and 5-year mortality rates of 24% and 6%, respectively².

Fewer tumors of the pancreas are known as neuroendocrine tumors. These often have better prognosis and occur in patients at a younger age³. Of all cancers, pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate, and it’s currently the third leading cause of cancer death in the US secondary to lung and colon cancer. The 5-year survival rate for all stages of pancreatic cancer is 13%⁴.

Risk for pancreatic cancer increases with age, a history of pancreatitis, smoking, obesity, diabetes, toxin exposures and family history of pancreatic cancer also play a role.

What Increases Your Risk of Pancreatic Cancer?

People with PDAC have higher levels of fungal toxins from mold like ochratoxin, gliotoxin and citrinin, and environmental toxins like methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), xylene and styrene⁵. Higher levels of cadmium, arsenic and lead may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. Mercury is also found more often in the pancreatic cells of people with pancreatic cancer⁶. Regular exposure to pesticides, asbestos, benzene and chlorinated hydrocarbons have been shown to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer⁷. So have tobacco and alcohol consumption⁸.

Standard of care oncology does not address toxin exposures in people with cancers, which many times may be at the root of their disease. Cancer develops in stages and many carcinogens disrupt multiple or overlapping biological pathways increasing cancer growth. Chemotherapy is also a “toxin.“ These drugs can build up in the liver and kidneys contributing to organ dysfunction, and patients may also experience toxic effects from these drugs. When combined with and in patients who have chemical toxicity after environmental toxin exposures, responding to treatment for cancer recovery is compounded. Scientists and physicians in oncology must recognize that we need to look more expansively at the role chemicals play in cancer development. It is not enough to simply consider the effects of individual chemicals on the body. The combined effects of the many chemicals we are exposed to in real-life leading to the toxic load in our bodies and exposure circumstances must be considered and addressed in the cancer patient.

Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include the following:

• Abdominal pain
• Indigestion
• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes known as jaundice
• Dark urine
• Weight loss
• Bone pain
• A cough

These symptoms are dependent on where the cancer spreads.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

• Avoid tobacco and alcohol.
• Maintain healthy weight and blood sugar levels.
• Make food choices that are high in Phytonutrients. Foods containing Phytochemicals are central in a targeted cancer diet plan. They are known to arrest and prevent tumor growth.
• Stay active. Sedentary lifestyles increase cancer growth.
• Avoid exposure to chemicals including pesticides, asbestos, benzene and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Use protective gear if you work with these chemicals.
• Avoid exposure to toxic mold. If you have been exposed, start a mold detoxification plan with a well-trained medical professional.

In addition to cancer nutrition, education on lifestyle changes, gut healing and optimization of the immune system, prescriptions for targeted supplements impacting pancreatic cancer, Hyperion Functional Medicine’s functional oncology program has a strong focus on detoxification to optimize healthy cells and reduce cancer growth for all patients with cancer.

 

1. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer/about/key-statistics.html#.
2. Vareedayah AA, Alkaade S, Taylor JR. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Mo Med. 2018 May-Jun;115(3):230-235. Erratum in: Mo Med. 2018 Nov-Dec;115(6):517. PMID: 30228728; PMCID: PMC6140147.
3. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-neuroendocrine-tumor/about/what-is-pnet.html#.
4. https://pancreatic.org/pancreatic-cancer/pancreatic-cancer-facts/#.
5. Rodriguez, V.I., Mammadova, J., Permuth, J.B. et al. Elevated Urinary Levels of Fungal and Environmental Toxins in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. J Gastrointest Canc 56, 4 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-024-01125-4.
6. Pamphlett R, Colebatch AJ, Doble PA, Bishop DP. Mercury in Pancreatic Cells of People with and without Pancreatic Cancer. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 2;17(23):8990. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17238990. PMID: 33276658; PMCID: PMC7731371.
7. Antwi SO, Eckert EC, Sabaque CV, Leof ER, Hawthorne KM, Bamlet WR, Chaffee KG, Oberg AL, Petersen GM. Exposure to environmental chemicals and heavy metals, and risk of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Causes Control. 2015 Nov;26(11):1583-91. doi: 10.1007/s10552-015-0652-y. Epub 2015 Aug 21. PMID: 26293241; PMCID: PMC4624268.
8. Brand RE, Greer JB, Zolotarevsky E, Brand R, Du H, Simeone D, Zisman A, Gorchow A, Lee SY, Roy HK, Anderson MA. Pancreatic cancer patients who smoke and drink are diagnosed at younger ages. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Sep. 7(9):1007-12. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2009.06.008. Epub 2009 Jun 26. PMID: 19560558; PMCID: PMC2736339.