Your pancreas is an organ located behind your stomach that is part of the digestive system. It releases enzymes that help digestion, and it produces hormones that aid in controlling blood sugar. Pancreatic cancer starts in the pancreas tissue. Not all growths in the pancreas are cancerous, but cancerous growths (or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) usually begin in the cells that line the ducts that transfer the digestive enzymes.

In most cases, pancreatic cancer does not show symptoms in the early stages. The symptoms appear when the cancer cells have grown large and spread outside the pancreas to other organs. Not all of these symptoms mean you have cancer, but if you have more than one symptom, you should see a doctor:

1. Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain is one of the first symptoms. Since it can be caused by many factors, people tend to ignore it or treat the pain with medication. If it’s pancreatic cancer, it may feel like a dull ache in the upper part of the abdomen that affects the back. The pain may not be constant but come and go.

2. Loss of appetite
Since the disease affects the digestion, one symptom may be nausea and eventually vomiting. These symptoms lead to loss of appetite and may cause loss of weight. If your body is not absorbing nutrients, you may feel excessive hunger or thirst.

3. Fatigue
Low blood sugar and appetite loss can result in overwhelming fatigue. Along with feeling tired, and faint, you may feel anxiety and shortness of breath. If the tumor produces insulin, your blood sugar may drop and you feel faint and even go into a coma if it gets too low.

4. Change in bowel movements
The cancer cells may grow to block your small intestine. The cancer cells may grow into or press on the duodenum and block the digested food in your stomach to flow into the intestines. Diarrhea and foul-smelling fatty stools are also some changes you may see in your bowel movements.

5. Weight loss
Pancreatic cancer may reduce your appetite, which alone causes weight loss. However, it may be also the result of the disruption of the proper digestion of food. It may be accompanied by excessive thirst and urination and diarrhea. Even if you eat a normal, healthy diet, you may lose weight and eventually become malnourished.

6. Itchy skin
The itchy skin symptom of pancreatic cancer is related to the bile ducts of the liver. The tumor stops the bile, which is an alkaline fluid that helps your body absorb nutrients from your food and also affects waste elimination. When the bile is blocked it accumulates in the liver and eventually enters the bloodstream. This causes itching and jaundice.

7. Jaundice
If the cancer cells or tumor block the bile duct, as mentioned above, the skin and eyes will turn a yellowish shade. This is caused by the build-up of bilirubin, a component of bile. The urine will become very dark brown and the stools will become very pale, almost white.

The symptoms of pancreatic cancer may be vague and hardly noticeable at first, but it’s worth seeing a doctor because pancreatic cancer responds better to treatment if it is diagnosed early before the symptoms become severe.