‘I Looked Like Homer Simpson’: Scottish Dad, 60, Experienced Yellow Skin, Thought He Had Gallstones; Then He Was Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer

"I did not really think anything about it. I presented myself to the hospital, and ended up in there for five weeks. It was an absolute nightmare," he told The Sun. "By this time, I started to turn yellow. I looked like Homer Simpson. I had never had jaundice, so I had no idea how serious it was."

Slaven is currently recovering from surgery, and he is grateful that his doctors were able to identify the disease early. Now, he wants to use his experience to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer symptoms to look out for. "It is one of those really slow growing cancers and by the time you are diagnosed, it is often too late," he said.

The Challenges In Screening for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms

Jaundice, one of the main symptoms Slaven experienced, is a yellowing of the eyes or skin. Most people with pancreatic cancer will experience it as one of their first symptoms, according to the American Cancer Society.

Jaundice occurs when there's a buildup of bilirubin, which is a dark yellow-brown substance that's made in the liver. Other signs of jaundice, apart from the yellowing of the skin or eyes, may include darker urine, lighter-colored or greasy stools, as well as itchy skin.

Dr. Anirbahn Maitra, co-leader of the Pancreatic Cancer Moon Shoot at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview, “Because the pancreas is inside the abdomen, it often doesn't have symptoms that would tell you that something is wrong with your pancreas. By the time individuals walk into the clinic with symptoms like jaundice, weight loss, back pain, or diabetes, it's often very late in the stage of the disease." Dr. Daniel Labow of Mount Sinai Hospital says that for people with pancreatic cancer, experiencing jaundice is “actually a good thing–because it gets people to the doctor.”

In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Diane Simeone, director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, emphasized the importance of research focused on early detection of pancreatic cancer.

"Because pancreatic cancer is often undetectable and asymptomatic until it is at an advanced stage, I continue to strongly advocate for germline testing and early detection programs, especially for those most at risk for pancreatic cancer, such as individuals with a family history of the disease," Dr. Simeone said. "Research to develop an early detection blood test is underway and could have an incredible impact on patient outcomes."

Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factors

We know that people who have already had two or more cases of pancreatic cancer in their family are at higher risk of the disease themselves.

"If somebody has two first degree relatives with pancreatic cancer, their risk is already double digits higher than the average population. If they have three family members it's almost 34 percent higher than the average risk population,” says Dr. Maitra.

The presence of cysts on a person's pancreas also carries an increased risk, as there is a chance that the cyst could turn into pancreatic cancer.  It should be stressed though, that most cysts do not progress to cancer, but they are worth keeping an eye on.

If you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, or a cyst on your pancreas, ask your doctor about a pancreatic cancer screening test. However, if neither of these conditions apply to you, then you run a much greater risk of a harmful false-positive result.

MD Anderson’s Pancreatic Cancer Moon Shot is taking a whole new approach to cancer research.

Contributing: SurvivorNet staff

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