Which statement about pancreatic cancer is true?

• A. Benign.
• B. Fatal.
• C. Slow-growing.
• D. Common.

Answer: (B)

Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal because it typically presents at an advanced stage when the disease has already spread beyond the pancreas. The pancreas sits deep in the abdomen, so early tumors cause few noticeable symptoms, leading to late diagnoses. The cancer biology is aggressive, with rapid invasion of nearby tissues and early metastasis, most often to the liver, which limits the effectiveness of treatment. Surgical removal, the best chance for a cure, is possible in only a minority of cases, and even with surgery plus chemotherapy, recurrences are common. As a result, overall survival rates are very low, making fatal outcome the most accurate statement. It is not benign, it is not generally slow-growing, and while not the most common cancer, its prognosis is disproportionately poor due to late detection and biology.