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 About Pancreatic Cancer Care

To learn more about pancreatic cancer care or to make an appointment, you can:

• Call 412-647-2811.
• Contact a UPMC Hillman Cancer Center near you.