The exact cause of pancreatic cancer is usually not known.  Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas — an organ in your abdomen that lies behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas releases enzymes that aid digestion and produces hormones that help manage your blood sugar.

Several types of growths can occur in the pancreas, including cancerous and noncancerous tumors. The most common type of cancer that forms in the pancreas begins in the cells that line the ducts that carry digestive enzymes out of the pancreas (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma).

Pancreatic cancer is seldom detected at its early stages when it's most curable. This is because it often doesn't cause symptoms until after it has spread to other organs.

Pancreatic cancer treatment options are chosen based on the extent of the cancer. Options may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these. Early stage of pancreatic cancer may be asymptomatic. Symptoms will show up only when the disease progresses and include:

• Digestive problems, including abnormal stools, nausea or vomiting 
• Pain in the upper abdomen and back
• Loss of appetite
• Sudden weight loss
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
• Very high sugar levels in diabetic patients