Cancer that claimed Swayze is rare, largely associated with smoking

NEW ORLEANS - When actor Patrick Swayze was diagnosed in March 2008 with pancreatic cancer,?he said he wanted to last until a cure was found.

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But Monday at the age of 57,?he died surrounded by his family. And today,?doctors?say?there are two important things you can do to prevent getting sick with the same cancer.

For more than a year, actor and dancer?Patrick?Swayze battled cancer of the pancreas. It's not a common cancer, so you don't hear much about it. But still 42,000 new cases are found each year.

It's located in the back of the abdominal cavity and so consequently it is a silent organ and doesn't make much noise.??So it can develop a malignancy inside of it with virtually no symptoms," said Dr.?Charlie Brown a?Professor with the LSU?Health Sciences School of Public Health. ?

That is why by the time the cancer is finally found, it has usually spread and only 25 percent of people make it through the first year.

"The things that you usually see early on are either pain in the abdomen, for which you don't have a better explanation, or you see abnormalities in the digestive tract and you can actually see the development of jaundice, yellow color in the eyes," explained Dr. Brown who also?specializes in Hematology and Oncology.?

But here is something most people don't realize. Cancer of the pancreas, that?organ that makes insulin to digest food,?is correlated to smoking.

"We do know, however, that we see more pancreatic cancers in people who smoke and we see more pancreatic cancers in people who are overweight. So the problem is which of these?two things is responsible for the development, hasn't yet been figured out.??But there is no question that if you want to do all you can to avoid developing a malignancy?in the pancreas, do not smoke," Dr. Brown emphasized.?

?Patrick Swayze is on record admitting that smoking probably did have something to do with his deadly cancer. But while it is common knowledge that smoking kills through lung cancer,?it is not widely known that cancers of the pancreas, kidney, bladder and acute leukemia are related to smoking.

Doctor Brown said that two-thirds of all cancers are directly related to problems of smoking or being overweight.

"That's correct?two-thirds of cancers," said Dr. Brown.?"Iit's appalling when you think about it."

And since smoking, and some believe food, are medical addictions as well as learned behaviors, Dr. Brown suggests turning first to your doctor for help.

For help to stop smoking go to the?Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-free Living: ?

And for the?American Lung Association go to: ?