Types of pancreatic cancer
This page is about the different types of pancreatic cancer. Cancers of the pancreas can be grouped according to where in the pancreas the cancer is or according to the type of cell the cancer has originated from. There is information below on
Types of pancreatic cancer
You can get cancer in the head, body or tail of the pancreas. Between 70 and 80% of pancreatic cancers are in the head of the pancreas.
Exocrine cancers
The vast majority of cancers of the pancreas are exocrine in type. Most of these exocrine pancreatic cancers are ductal adenocarcinomas. These cancers start in the cells lining the ducts of the pancreas. The ducts are the tubes that carry the pancreatic digestive juices to the main pancreatic duct and the duodenum.
Other rarer types of exocrine pancreatic cancer are cystic tumours, cancer of the acinar cells and sarcomas. The treatment for these rarer types is similar to that for ductal adenocarcinoma.
Rarer endocrine pancreatic tumours
The endocrine cancers are a group of hormone producing tumours. They are also called neuroendocrine tumours. They are named after the hormone they produce and include gastrinomas, insulinomas, somatostatinomas, VIPomas and glucagonomas.
Lymphoma of the pancreas
This is very rare and is treated differently to other types of pancreatic cancer. There is more about the treatment of lymphoma in the ‘non Hodgkin’s lymphoma’ section of CancerHelp UK.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About pancreatic cancer section.
You can get cancer in the head, body or tail of the pancreas. The symptoms vary depending on where in the pancreas the tumour is. Between 7 and 8 out of 10 pancreatic cancers (70 - 80%) are in the head of the pancreas. Different types of surgery are used depending on the site of the cancer.
The vast majority of cancers of the pancreas are exocrine in type. This means that they start in the cells of the exocrine pancreas, which produces the digestive pancreatic juices. These are released into channels, or ducts, within the pancreas, and pass through the main pancreatic duct into the duodenum. There are a number of different types of exocrine pancreatic cancers
More than 9 out of 10 exocrine pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinomas. Nearly all of these are ductal adenocarcinomas. These cancers start in the cells lining the ducts of the pancreas.
There are rarer types of exocrine pancreatic cancer. The treatment for these rare types is more or less the same as for ductal adenocarcinoma. So surgery is the main treatment, if that is possible. The other rarer types of exocrine pancreatic cancer are
Cystic tumours
Cystic tumours cause a cyst or fluid filled sac in the pancreas. Most pancreatic cysts are benign, but some are cancerous. Cystic cancers can have a better outlook (prognosis) than other types of exocrine pancreatic cancer.
Cancer of the acinar cells
The acinar cells are at the ends of the ducts that produce the pancreatic juices.
Sarcomas of the pancreas
These are cancers of the connective tissue holding together the cells of the pancreas. They are very rare and most often occur in children.
Endocrine cancers start in the endocrine pancreas, where insulin and other hormones are made and released directly into the bloodstream. The endocrine cancers are a group of hormone producing tumours. They are also called neuroendocrine tumours. They are named after the hormone they produce
- Gastrinomas produce a hormone called gastrin
- Insulinomas produce insulin
- Somatostatinomas produce a hormone called somatostatin
- VIPomas produce a hormone called VIP
- Glucagonomas produce a hormone called glucagon
These cancers cause strange symptoms. There is information about the symptoms of endocrine pancreatic cancers in this section of CancerHelp UK. You may hear these cancers called islet cell tumours. The islet cells are the hormone producing cells of the pancreas. Islet cell tumours are not always cancer - they can be benign.
This is very rare. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system of the body. As the lymphatic system runs throughout the body, it can crop up anywhere. Because it is a different type of cancer, it is treated differently to the other types of pancreatic cancer. There is more about the treatment of lymphoma in the CancerHelp UK section on treating non Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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