November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

What do you know about the Pancreas??
Do you know where it is located

The Pancreas is located in the center of your abdomen. It is behind the stomach and in front of the spine. The pancreas is 6 inches long and shaped like a flat pear.

• The pancreas is vital to our daily food intake and making foods able to be broken down by our bodies
• The endocrine portion of the pancreas is responsible for the task of producing and maintaining many levels of hormones such as insulin, pancreatic polypeptides and glucagon
• The digestive portion of the pancreas is critical to secretion of pancreatic juices.Digestive enzymes are contained in the juices.These enzymes assist in the absorption of nutrients as well as the digestion in small intestine. 

Approximately 53,670 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017. Only nine out of every 100 newly diagnosed patients are expected to live five or more years. Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest major cancer and has the lowest five year survival rate at just 9%.