What do stools look like with pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer doesn't usually cause symptoms in the early stages. As the cancer grows it can start to cause symptoms. These can include:

• pain in the stomach area or back
• yellowing of the skin or whites of your eyes (jaundice)
• unexplained weight loss

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be vague. They can be caused by other conditions, but it's important to get them checked by a doctor. See your GP if you have any new symptoms or symptoms that aren't going away.

About pancreatic cancer symptoms

The symptoms vary depending on where the cancer is in the pancreas (in the head, body or tail of the pancreas). Most pancreatic cancers start in the cells that produce digestive juices and are called exocrine tumours. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is called adenocarcinoma. 

Common symptoms

Pain in the stomach area or back

Almost 7 out of 10 people (70%) with pancreatic cancer go to their doctors because they have pain. Pain is more common in cancers of the body and tail of the pancreas. People describe it as a dull pain that feels as if it is boring into you. It can begin in the stomach area and spread around to the back. The pain is worse when you lie down and is better if you sit forward. It can be worse after meals. 

Some people may only have back pain. This is often felt in the middle of the back, and is persistent.

Jaundice

Many people with pancreatic cancer have jaundice when they first go to their doctors. Most of them will have pain as well. Around 10 in 100 people (around 10%) have painless jaundice. 

Jaundice is yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. The wee (urine) is darker than normal and poo (stools or bowel motions) may be lighter in colour. Jaundice is more common with cancer of the head of the pancreas because the tumour blocks the bile duct. This tube carries bile into the small bowel (duodenum). If it is blocked the bile ends up in your bloodstream. You pass it out in your urine (making it look dark) rather than through the bowel (so your stools looks lighter).

Bile contains a lot of yellow pigments so it turns the skin yellow. This may be less noticeable in black or brown skin. It is often easier to spot in the whites of the eyes rather than the skin.

Jaundice is a common symptom of many liver and gallbladder diseases.

• Learn more about the bile ducts

Weight loss

People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer might have recently lost a lot of weight (at least 10% of their total body weight) for no apparent reason. This symptom is more common in cancers of the head of the pancreas.

Other signs or symptoms

Cancer of the pancreas can cause other signs or symptoms. These might happen before the cancer is diagnosed or might happen later. Not everyone has every symptom.

Diabetes

Some people diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas are found to be newly diabetic. Some have been diagnosed with diabetes within the previous year. If you have diabetes you are not producing enough insulin. So there is too much sugar in your blood. The sugar passes out of the body in the urine and takes some water with it.

• thirst
• passing a lot of urine
• weakness
• weight loss and hunger

Itching

You might have itching if you have bad jaundice. The increased bile salts in the bloodstream cause itching in the skin.

Sickness

You may feel or be sick because you have jaundice or an inflamed pancreas. Both these conditions upset the delicate chemical balance of the body.

You might also be sick if the cancer, or inflammation around it, starts to block food from passing out of the stomach and into the first part of the bowel. Due to sickness, you might have a loss of appetite which can cause weight loss.

Bowel changes

If your pancreatic duct blocks, you might develop a symptom called steatorrhoea. This means fatty stools (poo). You may pass frequent, large bowel motions that are pale coloured and smelly, and are difficult to flush away. These bowel disturbances can mean that you are not absorbing your food properly. This can also cause weight loss.

Fever and shivering

You might have a temperature from time to time because you have jaundice or an inflamed pancreas. When your temperature is high you may feel cold and shivery.

Indigestion

Indigestion causes heartburn, bloating and sickness. It is a common problem in the general population, and for most people it isn't a sign of cancer.

If it is persistent or isn't getting better with medicines, you should go back to see your doctor.

Blood clots

Occasionally, pancreatic cancer is linked to blood clots. They may form in the deep veins in the legs for example, or in smaller veins anywhere on the body. Sometimes the clots will disappear and then develop somewhere else in the body.

See your doctor straight away if you have these symptoms:

• pain, redness and swelling around the area where the clot is
• the area around the clot might feel warm to touch

Symptoms of endocrine pancreatic tumours

Endocrine pancreatic tumours are uncommon. They are also called neuroendocrine tumours. Most pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours don't produce hormones so don't cause specific symptoms.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours that produce hormones are called functional tumours. The symptoms are different for each type, depending on the hormone the tumour produces.

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