Types of Pancreatic Cancer

Several types of cancer can affect the pancreas:

• Exocrine pancreatic cancer (adenocarcinoma) occurs in the ducts that carry pancreatic juices. About 95 percent of pancreatic cancers affect the exocrine cells.
• Neuroendocrine tumor (islet cell tumor) is a mass of abnormal cells in the endocrine (hormone-producing) tissues of the pancreas.
• Ampullary cancer arises from the ampulla of Vater. This is where the liver bile duct and pancreatic duct come together and empty into the duodenum.
• Cystic neoplasms and cysts are premalignant or benign pancreatic masses or lesions.
• Locally advanced pancreatic cancers are those in which the tumor adheres to or invades adjacent structures.
• Pancreatic metastasis is cancer that starts in the pancreas and spreads to another part of the body.
• Other rare types of pancreatic cancer include:
• Lymphoma: Because the lymphatic system runs through the body, tumors can develop anywhere.
• Pancreatoblastoma: Rare tumors, mainly occurring in children, that have a link to genetic conditions Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis.
• Sarcomas of the pancreas: Extremely rare cancer that develops in the connective tissue holding together the pancreas cells.

Contact Us

Contact UPMC Hillman Cancer Center about pancreatic cancer care at 412-647-2811.