Jaundice (icterus) is not a disease or condition, but a phenomenon/symptom that is associated with various conditions of the liver and gallbladder/bile ducts. When jaundice occurs with pancreatic cancer, examination by your specialist is necessary.
What is jaundice?
Jaundice is the name for the yellowish color that you see on the skin and in the whites of your eyes. Jaundice is accompanied by symptoms such as itching, dark urine, and clay-colored (or light-colored) stools. The itching can be severe. Jaundice begins when a certain substance called bilirubin that changes the color of the skin. Bilirubin is not yellow but a dark green substance that is produced in the liver and then travels to the intestines via the bile. When a tumor blocks this passage, or when a tumor is located in the head of the pancreas near the bile duct, the bile can no longer travel to the intestines, causing it to accumulate in the blood and in the skin, which gives the yellow color. Bilirubin is a toxic substance and if there is a lot of it in the blood, you become tired and listless. You can also become nauseous or lose your appetite.
The jaundice does not necessarily have to be caused by pancreatic cancer. There are other causes of jaundice such as hepatitis (a liver inflammation), or when the bile duct becomes blocked by gallstones. So always consult your specialist for an examination into the cause of the jaundice.