Coping with Pancreatic Cancer

When you first learn you have pancreatic cancer, you may wonder how you’re going to cope with such a diagnosis and the upcoming changes in your life. Pancreatic cancer can be especially hard to cope with because it is often diagnosed at a late stage, and you may be anxious about how long you will live, why it affected you, or how much pain you will have. You may receive lifelong treatment to slow the cancer’s growth and spread without knowing how well the treatment will work and what side effects it will have. Adjusting to living with cancer can create a lot of anxiety and fear and can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming.

One step you can take is to be informed of the changes that may occur and what resources are available to help you. Speaking up about your fears and any problems you have can give you a greater sense of control. Your health care team can talk with you about ways to reduce side effects so you can feel better.

Coping with pancreatic cancer treatment

Cancer treatment can cause side effects or changes to your body and how you feel. You may have different side effects even when you are given the same treatment for the same type of cancer as other people. It’s normal to feel uncertain or fearful about side effects you may have. Keep in mind your health care team can help prevent and relieve many side effects.

Side effects of cancer treatment

Pancreatic cancer treatments can affect healthy tissues and organs, causing many physical side effects. The side effects you may have depend on the type of treatments you receive and their doses. Surgery, chemo, and other treatments for pancreatic cancer all have possible side effects, such as fatigue, nausea and vomiting, damage to the small nerves in your hands and feet (called neuropathy), appetite and taste changes, blood cell changes (including your ability to fight infections), mouth sores, and hair loss. Learn about other possible Side Effects of Cancer Treatment.

Emotional effects of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer and its treatment can be overwhelming and cause many emotions, including anxiety, fear, shock, disbelief, sadness, and depression. Just as cancer affects your physical health, it can bring up a wide range of emotions you’re not used to dealing with. It can also make existing feelings seem more intense.

Learn more about how to understand and cope with new, and sometimes difficult, thoughts and feelings at Emotions and Cancer.

Changes in eating and nutrition

Pancreatic cancer and its treatment can change the way you eat and the way your body absorbs and breaks down nutrients. Pancreatic cancer is known to use nutrients for its own growth, depriving your body of energy. In its advanced stages, this process is called cachexia and can lead to rapid weight loss. Learn more about Cancer Cachexia.

Slices of roasted chicken breast and cooked broccoli and carrots arranged on a blue plate along with a dip in a small bowl.

Nutrition During Cancer

Cancer treatment can cause problems that make it hard to eat, but there are ways to manage.

You may need to manage new diabetes or diarrhea, change your diet and how often you eat, receive enteral nutrition, or take nutritional supplements.

Surgery for pancreatic cancer can change your body’s ability to make enzymes that help digest food. When the pancreas can’t make enough enzymes, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) helps you get the enzymes you need. Taking PERT can help prevent weight loss because it enables your body to digest food and absorb nutrients even after pancreatic surgery. PERT may be given as a pill that you take with meals, so the enzymes can mix with food in your stomach.

To get tips on eating during cancer treatment, visit Eating Hints: Before, During, and After Cancer Treatment.

Changes in body image

Pancreatic cancer and its treatment can change how you look and feel about yourself. Know that you aren’t alone in how you feel. Coping with changes to your body and how this affects your relationships with others can be hard. But, over time, many people learn to adjust and move forward.

Learn more about how body changes may affect your self-image after treatment and ways to cope and communicate your feelings in How Cancer Affects Your Self-Image and Sexuality.

Follow-up care

a man and woman looking at a computer and paperwork

Managing Cancer Costs and Medical Information

Learn ways to manage health care information, bills, and other records, along with tips for saving money on pain medicines.

Many people who have been treated for pancreatic cancer need to visit their doctor regularly to renew prescriptions for pain medicine and other medications, get help with symptoms, and receive follow-up exams or tests. Planning and scheduling these appointments can be stressful and time-consuming and can put significant burden on you, family members, and others. Waiting for test results can cause anxiety and an ongoing fear of recurrence. The added costs of things such as copays, medicines, and parking and transportation fees only add to the stress.

Palliative care

Palliative care is an important part of cancer treatment and care and can be given at any stage of disease. It aims to improve quality of life by managing symptoms and providing support to patients and their families. It can include pain management and nutritional and psychological support. Palliative therapies can also include nondrug, holistic therapies in addition to standard medical treatments. Palliative care can be provided alongside curative treatments, such as chemotherapy, or as the focus of care.

Many people living with pancreatic cancer will experience pain. Pain can occur when the tumor invades or presses on nerves surrounding the pancreas or other organs. When pain medicine is not enough, palliative care treatments can act on nerves in the abdomen to relieve pain:

The doctor may inject medicine into the area around affected nerves to block the feeling of pain. Radiologists use imaging to help guide the injection during the procedure.
Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy can also help relieve pain by shrinking the tumor.

Learn more about Pain and Cancer and Palliative Care in Cancer.

Getting support

Wherever you are in dealing with cancer, you or your caregivers may need help coping. Know that you are not alone. Seek support from family and friends, your health care team, and support groups.

Get advice on how to ask for help in Adjusting to Cancer, or learn more about Cancer Support Groups.

Support for caregivers

If you are caring for someone who has cancer, it’s important to know what resources are available to you. Learn more in Support for Caregivers of Cancer Patients.