Aretha Franklin’s cancer was among most deadly
Pancreas disease usually detected in late stages
Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin died of an advanced form of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is difficult to discover early and among the most deadly forms of cancer.
Pancreatic cancer will kill an estimated 44,300 Americans in 2018, according to the American Cancer Society.
Franklin’s family said she died from advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.
What is pancreatic cancer?
The disease begins in the pancreas but spreads to nearby organs. It is rarely detected in early stages, experts said.
Symptoms often are noticed only when the disease has advanced and may include pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to the back, loss of appetite, unintended weight loss or adultonset diabetes, according to Mayo Clinic.
“What makes it so challenging is there is no early detection,” said Julie Fleshman, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, an advocacy organization. “Usually by the time it is diagnosed it is late stage and more difficult to treat.”
What is the survival rate?
About 55,440 people are expected to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year. Although the aggressive disease accounts for only 3 percent of cancers, it causes 7 percent of cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
Only 8 percent of people with pancreatic cancer diagnosed from 2007 to 2013 lived beyond five years, making it one of the most lethal forms of cancer, according to National Cancer Institute statistics.
What type did Franklin have?
The Queen of Soul had neuroendocrine cancer – a rarer type of the disease that accounts for only 6 percent of pancreatic cancer tumors, according to PanCAN. The 5-year survival rate for this type of cancer is better than other forms of the disease.
These type of tumors form from abnormal growth of the pancreas’ endocrine cells, which make hormones to control blood-sugar levels. This form of pancreatic cancer typically grows more slowly than the more common forms of the disease, Fleshman said.
What are some risk factors?
People with a family history of pancreatic cancer or who develop diabetes as an adult may have a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.
Some other risks may include inflammation of the pancreas, smoking, obesity, age and certain hereditary conditions such as the BRCA-2 mutation and Lynch syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic.
African-Americans also have a higher rate of pancreatic cancer compared with other racial groups, according to PCAN.