Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. There are usually no symptoms in the cancer's early stages; by the time of diagnosis, it has often spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer, may include yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light-colored stools, dark urine and loss of appetite. It rarely occurs before the age of 40, and more than half of cases occur in those over 70. The risk is lower among non-smokers and people who maintain a healthy weight and limit their consumption of red or processed meat. It can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative care, or a combination of these, depending in part on the cancer stage. It is never cured by nonsurgical treatments, though any of these will sometimes improve quality of life, particularly palliative care. It typically has a very poor prognosis: 25% of people live for one year after diagnosis, and 5% for five years.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancer

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1407:

During the Ming–Hồ War, the Chinese Ming armies captured Hồ Quý Ly and his sons, thus ending the Vietnamese Hồ dynasty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming%E2%80%93H%E1%BB%93_War

1795:

French Revolutionary Wars: Off the coast of Brittany, a British Royal Navy battle squadron commanded by William Cornwallis fended off a numerically superior French Navy fleet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwallis%27s_Retreat

1883:

More than 180 out of 1,100 children died in the Victoria Hall stampede in Sunderland, England, when they stampeded down the stairs to collect gifts from the entertainers after the end of a variety show. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Hall_stampede

1963:

Aboard Vostok 6, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentina_Tereshkova

2010:

Bhutan became the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Control_Act_of_Bhutan_2010

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

zany: 1. Unusual and bizarre in a funny, comical way; outlandish; clownish. 2. Ludicrously or incongruously comical. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zany

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Secrets, silent, stony sit in the dark palaces of both our hearts: secrets weary of their tyranny: tyrants, willing to be dethroned.   --Ulysses https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ulysses