Chris Rea Pancreatic Cancer: Early Warning Signs of the Deadly Disease You Should Never Ignore

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Home for Christmas singer Chris Rea died after a fight with pancreatic cancer and a stroke. The 74-year-old had spent decades in the musical spotlight, with influences stretching deep into the blues. Rea recorded 25 solo albums, two of which topped the UK albums chart. According to his family, Rea endured health struggles for some time since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001. In 2016, he suffered a stroke. Doctors say the symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be hard to spot - or there can even be no signs initially. Chris was just 33 when he was first diagnosed with the deadly cancer, with symptoms that could be due to any condition -

• Feeling tired or having no energy
• A high temperature, or feeling hot, cold, or shivery

What is pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer occurs when cells in your pancreas begin to mutate or change and multiply out of control, forming a tumour. Your pancreas is a gland in your abdomen, between your spine and stomach. It makes hormones that control blood-sugar levels and enzymes that aid in digestion. Most pancreatic cancers start in the ducts of your pancreas. The main pancreatic duct connects your pancreas to your common bile duct. Early-stage pancreatic tumours do not show up on imaging tests. For this reason, many people don’t receive a diagnosis until the cancer has spread. Pancreatic cancer is also resistant to many common cancer drugs, making it notoriously difficult to treat.

What causes pancreatic cancer?

While there is no answer as to why pancreatic cancer spreads, experts have identified some risk factors, which include:

• Cigarette smoking and using other forms of tobacco
• Obesity
• Sudden-onset diabetes could be a sign of pancreatic cancer.
• Exposure to certain chemicals, like pesticides and petrochemicals.
• Chronic pancreatitis is a permanent inflammation of your pancreas.
• Hereditary chronic pancreatitis is due to gene changes (mutations) passed from biological parent to child.
• Hereditary syndromes with changes (mutations) in genes, such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, are passed from biological parent to child.

Other signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer

While there are no early signs of pancreatic cancer, doctors say symptoms typically emerge once the tumour begins to impact other organs in your digestive system, which include:

• Jaundice
• Dark urine
• Light-coloured stool
• Upper abdominal pain
• Middle back pain
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Itchy skin
• Nausea and vomiting
• Gas and bloating
• Blood clots
• Weight loss
• New-onset diabetes

Your doctor may suspect pancreatic cancer if you have recently developed diabetes or pancreatitis - a painful condition due to inflammation in your pancreas. A few symptoms of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer may be different from traditional pancreatic cancer symptoms, like jaundice or weight loss. Symptoms vary, but may include diarrhoea and anemia.