Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic carcinoma) is a fairly rare type of cancer and makes up around three percent of all cancer diagnoses. Around 1,300 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Switzerland every year. The patients are usually over the age of 60 and men and women are equally affected by the disease.
The pancreas is located in the upper abdomen and produces digestive juices for the small intestine and insulin for regulating the metabolism of sugar. Pancreatic cancer is known to be a very aggressive type of cancer. Depending on where the tumour is located anatomically, it is referred to as cancer of the pancreatic head, body or tail.
