There is good news about the increased survival rate of pancreatic cancer. Just 20 years ago, the five-year survival rate was just 4%. Now, thanks to a surge in research funding at the National Cancer Institute and other agencies, that rate has more than doubled. And, if the tumor is caught early enough and is confined to the pancreas, the survival rate is 40%.

According to AARP, scientists are developing breakthrough treatments that will hopefully increase the survival rate even further for this devastating cancer that claimed the lives of Jeopardy! Host Alex Trebek, actor Patrick Swayze, and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

 Trebek was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer after seeking help for persistent stomach pain.

“I wish I had known sooner that the stomach pain I experienced prior to my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer,” said Trebek at the time of his diagnosis in 2019. Dr. Brian Wolpin, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says that the earlier pancreatic cancer is caught, the better able patients will be to tolerate treatment and the higher the likelihood it can be cured.

Here are some signs and symptoms to look for:

• Abdominal and back pain. Pain radiating from the upper abdomen to the back which can start as dull discomfort and become sharper and more persistent with time is a common sign of pancreatic cancer.

• Diabetes with weight loss. A study published in JAMA Oncology in 2020 found that participants with recent-onset diabetes accompanied by weight loss had a substantially increased risk for pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Wolpin, the senior author of the study, revealed that the incidence for this type of cancer was six- to tenfold higher among study participants with newly diagnosed diabetes and weight loss than among the study subjects without diabetes or weight loss.

• Jaundice. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin may be one of the first signs of pancreatic cancer. Jaundice is caused by the buildup of bilirubin, a yellow-brown substance made in the liver, and contained in a liquid called bile.  Normally bilirubin passes through the body in the stool after it goes through the bile duct, but if that duct is blocked by cancer of the pancreas, the amount of bilirubin in the body builds up, causing jaundice. Other signs of jaundice include dark urine, light-colored or greasy stools, and itchy skin.

• Nausea or vomiting. If the cancer presses on the far end of the stomach it can make it hard for food to get through. This can cause nausea, vomiting, and pain that tends to be worse after eating, says the ACS.

• Blood clots. The first clue that someone has pancreatic cancer may be a blood clot in a large vein, often the leg. This is called deep vein thrombosis or DVT. “The symptoms of a DVT include sudden swelling of the ankles or legs,” Dr. Jonathan Aliota, an interventional cardiologist and a member of the Texas Heart Institute at the Baylor College of Medicine, tells Newsmax. Sometimes a piece of the clot can break off and travel to the lungs, which could cause chest pain.

• Enlarged gallbladder or liver. If the tumor is blocking the bile duct, the bile can build up in the gallbladder, making it larger. This can be seen on imaging tests or even felt by a doctor during an examination. The ACS says that pancreatic cancer can also travel to the liver, causing enlargement, which again, can be seen on imaging tests or felt by a physician.