What is pancreatic cancer?

BYU announced Wednesday that basketball coach Dave Rose has been diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cancer.

While pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious types of cancer, Rose has a rare form of this disease.

A doctor at the Stanford University Medical Center told KSL-TV that an estimated 80-90 percent of patients live past 10 years.

Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of the pancreas — a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of the stomach. The pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of sugars.

Pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed early. Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it's a leading cause of cancer death. Signs and symptoms may not appear until pancreatic cancer is quite advanced and surgical removal isn't possible.

When signs and symptoms do appear, they may include:

Upper abdominal pain that may radiate to your back

Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)

Loss of appetite

Weight loss

Depression

Although the majority (approximately 95 percent) of pancreatic tumors are composed of adenocarcinomas, other types of tumors such as pancreatic lymphomas have a much more favorable prognosis. Other types of rare pancreatic tumors include cystadenocarcinomas and acinar cell carcinoma.

Sources: National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov), Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.com), Johns Hopkins (pathology.jhu.edu), Stanford University Cancer Center (cancer.stanford.edu).