Symptoms of pancreatic cancer in the final week of life
Disease description:
I have an uncle who currently has pancreatic cancer, and it's already very severe. They say he doesn't have much time left. I'd like to ask whether there will be any particularly noticeable symptoms in the week before death from pancreatic cancer?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Qi Zhirong
One week before the end of life, pancreatic cancer patients have typically entered the terminal stage, with symptoms mainly including:
1. Difficulty eating: Patients may experience severe loss of appetite, even being unable to ingest food or water, accompanied by a cachectic state characterized by extreme weight loss and malnutrition.
2. Pain: As the cancer enlarges or metastasizes, it may invade nerves, causing severe pain that is often difficult to relieve, significantly affecting the patient's quality of life.
3. Jaundice: Due to obstruction of the bile duct by the tumor, bilirubin cannot be excreted normally from the body, resulting in yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark-colored urine, and pale stools.
4. Difficulty breathing: Cachexia-related hypoalbuminemia, hypoxia, and dehydration, along with possible pleural effusion or ascites, may cause patients to experience dyspnea and weak cough with sputum.
5. Multi-organ failure: In advanced stages, pancreatic cancer may trigger multiple organ failure, such as respiratory failure, liver failure, and renal failure, presenting as shortness of breath, ascites, hematemesis, melena, anuria, or oliguria.
