Pancreatic cancer is known to spread fast and commonly blocks the bile duct and the pancreatic duct – the channels draining the liver and pancreas respectively into the part of the intestine referred to as duodenum. This results in jaundice, itching and change in the nature of stools to greasy stools (steatorrhoea). Further, when it spreads towards the nerve plexus behind it, it can produce severe back pain. When it arises in the head of the pancreas, it is in close relationship to critical blood vessels that directly deal with the liver and small intestine. If cancer encroaches into a significant portion of these blood vessels, it may not be amenable for surgical removal directly and often needs chemotherapy and radiotherapy to shrink the tumour for making surgery feasible.