Sudden weight loss can occur two years before pancreatic cancer is detected

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Researchers have called sudden noticeable weight loss one of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer, occurring long before diagnosis.

Pancreatic cancer can be detected in patients much earlier than is usually the case today, if you notice two metabolic markers of this dangerous disease. One such marker is sudden weight loss.

“It has been found that in people with pancreatic cancer, sudden weight loss can occur two years before it is diagnosed.”

Another predictor of pancreatic cancer, the researchers called hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels), which is determined by an increase in the glycated hemoglobin index (HbA1c) in people who are not diabetic. This sign, provided that regular examinations are carried out, can be detected approximately three years before the diagnosis, the authors of the project believe.

According to them, pancreatic cancer in one way or another affects two key functions of the organ – the production of the hormone insulin and the production of digestive enzymes.

“Sudden and unexplained weight loss, especially in people with diabetes, as well as unexplained hyperglycemia, should be treated with great suspicion.”

According to the results of the study, if sudden weight loss occurs in diabetics, this seriously increases the risk of them suffering from pancreatic cancer (in contrast to people who lose weight without having diabetes). On the other hand, hyperglycemia, which is detected in people without diabetes, is associated with a greater risk of pancreatic cancer than hyperglycemia in diabetics.