Pancreatic cancer, also called exocrine cancer, develops from mutated cells within the pancreas that divide out of control to form a tumor. Pancreatic cancer is staged depending on the size, aggressiveness and invasiveness of the tumor. Early-stage, minimally invasive cancer eventually develops into more invasive late-stage cancer if left untreated or undetected.
Stage 2B
Stage 2B pancreatic cancer develops when cancer cells begin to grow toward or into the lymph nodes. Patients with Stage 2B pancreatic cancer have already developed extensive tumor growth within the pancreas, with tumors larger than 0.75 inches in diameter, growing inside and outside the pancreas, says the American Cancer Society. Stage 2B pancreatic cancer cells next begin to migrate to the lymph nodes, components of the lymphatic system that promote the circulation of lymph fluid throughout the body. If left untreated or undetected at this stage, pancreatic cancer cells become more invasive.
Stage 3
Stage 3 pancreatic cancers have begun to grow toward other tissues. The pancreas is surrounded by a number of supporting tissues, such as blood vessels that provide nutrients and oxygen, and nerves that transmit signals to the pancreas. In Stage 3 pancreatic cancer, cancer cells begin to grow toward blood vessel or nerve tissue, and cancer cells may begin to grow on these tissues, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer cells have also invaded several lymph nodes around the pancreas. If diagnosed at this stage, the cancer may still be considered operable, and surgery to remove the affected tissue may help treat the cancer.
Stage 4
Stage 4 pancreatic cancer is metastatic cancer--cancer that has colonized in one or more distant tissues. After cancer cell growth in blood vessels and lymph nodes, cancer cells begin to circulate throughout the body via the blood and lymphatic fluid. Metastatic pancreatic cancer cells may also migrate to other organs and tissues within the abdominal cavity. Patients with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer often develop cancerous growths in the liver, lungs and the peritoneum--the membrane lining organs within the abdominal cavity, reports Pancreatica.
Metastatic Stage 4 pancreatic cancer is extremely deadly. The five-year survival rate is 1 percent, the American Cancer Society says. As a result, treatment for Stage 4 pancreatic cancer is generally palliative therapy, designed to relieve pain and increase a patient's quality of life as their cancer progresses.
