Pancreatic cancer symptoms explained as former senator Ben Sasse reveals stage 4 diagnosis

Former Republican Senator Ben Sasse has revealed he's been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, and these are the signs and symptoms that you should look out for.

In a statement on Tuesday (December 23), he admitted he's got 'less time' than he'd prefer left to live.

The 53-year-old shared a lengthy health update on X just days before Christmas.

"This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die," he wrote.

"Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too - we all do," he added.

Sasse, who served in the Senate for Nebraska between 2015 and 2023 before taking on the role of University of Florida president, shares three children, Corrie, Alex and Breck, with his wife Melissa.

Reflecting on his pride for his family, he added: "I couldn’t be more grateful to constantly get to bear-hug this motley crew of sinners and saints."

More than 67,000 adults in the US are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Men have a one in 56 risk of developing the disease throughout their lifetime.

What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer affects the small organ that helps regulate blood sugar and digest food by producing hormones like insulin and digestive enzymes.

It is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, largely because it is rarely detected early.

Mayo Clinic writes that it often causes few or no symptoms until it has already spread. When symptoms do appear, they can include:

• Abdominal or back pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• Dark urine
• Pale stools
• Itching
• Fatigue
• Blood clots
• A sudden diagnosis of diabetes

What is stage 4 pancreatic cancer?

Doctors use cancer staging to describe how large a cancer is and how far it has spread in the body.

As Facing Pancreatic Cancer explains, stage four means the disease has metastasized, or spread, from the pancreas to other parts of the body, and the tumours can be any size. This stage is also known as advanced or metastatic cancer. Many pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed at this point because symptoms often appear late.

At this point, pancreatic cancer commonly spreads to the liver, lungs, abdominal wall, bones or distant lymph nodes. Stage four patients must usually undergo chemotherapy.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.