If you or a loved one were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after taking Zantac, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a Zantac pancreatic cancer lawsuit case or settlement claim.
A team of heartburn drug injury lawyers and class action attorneys is investigating potential lawsuit and settlement cases of individuals who claim to have suffered from pancreatic cancer after taking Zantac.
Pancreatic cancer is a form of cancer that starts in the pancreas (a gland in the abdomen, between the stomach and the spine) when cells in the pancreas begin to grow out of control to form a tumor.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 60,000 new pancreatic cancer cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. and more than 48,000 people are estimated to die from pancreas cancer.
Zantac Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuit Cases
Zantac pancreatic cancer lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include claims of individuals who took Zantac (ranitidine) that was recalled and suffered serious injuries, side-effects or complications, including a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer:
- Pancreatic cancer
- Cancer of the pancreas
- Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
- Exocrine tumors in the pancreas
- Acinar cell carcinoma
- Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms
- Intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm (IPMN)
- Mucinous cystic neoplasm with an invasive adenocarcinoma
- Cystadenocarcinomas
- Adenosquamous carcinomas
- Signet ring cell carcinomas
- Hepatoid carcinomas
- Colloid carcinomas
- Undifferentiated carcinomas
- Undifferentiated carcinomas with osteoclast-like giant cells
- Neuroendocrine tumors
- NETs, PNETs or islet cell tumors
- Pancan
- Metastatic pancreatic cancer
- Pancreatic tumor
According to a Zantac study published in December 2020 in the journal Cancers (“The Association Between Ranitidine Use and Gastrointestinal Cancers”), there was a positive association between ranitidine use and pancreatic cancer, consistent with prior studies.
Zantac Pancreas Cancer Injury Claims
Pancreas cancer can involve exocrine or neuroendocrine (endocrine) tumors, depending on the type of cell the cancer starts in. According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, about 93 percent of pancreatic cancers are exocrine cancers that begin in the exocrine cells of the pancreas (those cells that produce various enzymes to assist with disgestion), including adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, acinar cell carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinomas, intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), and mucinous cystic neoplasm with an invasive adenocarcinoma. Neuroendocrine tumors (pancreatic NETs, PNETs or islet cell tumors) are a slower growing cancer that comprise the remaning 7% of pancreatic cancers. These tumors begin in islet cells (endocrine cells in the pancreas that produce hormones to control blood sugar).
Pancreatic Cancer Signs & Symptoms
Pancreatic cancer signs and symptoms can potentially include:
- Dark-colored urine
- Light colored stools
- Fatigue, weakness or tiredness
- Itchy skin
- Blood clots
- Anemia
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the abdomen or back
- Nausea
- Recently diagnosed diabetes
- Depression
- Jaundice
Procedures and tests used to diagnose pancreatic cancer can include blood tests (to test for tumor protein markers such as CA19-9), pancreas biopsy, imaging tests (such as CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, etc.), endoscopic ultrasound EUS, laparocopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, among others.
Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Pancreatic cancer treatments can include surgery to remove the tumor from the pancreas (including a pancreaticoduodenectomy or whipple procedure to remove the head of the pancreas which can include removal of the body of the pancreas and other nearby organs, a distal pancreatectomy to remove the tail and a portion of the pancreas and/or spleen, and a total pancreatectomy to remove the entire pancreas, gallbladder, spleen and parts of the stomach or small intestine).
Other treatments include ablation or embolization (to destroy a tumor using radiofrequency ablation, microwave thermotherapy, ethanol (alcohol) ablation, and cryosurgery), radiation therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs, bile duct bypass surgery, bile duct stent, and gastric bypass surgery, among others.
According to the American Cancer Society, the overall 5-year relative survival rate for individuals with pancreatic cancer is 10%.
Pancreatic Cancer Stages
There are five stages of pancreatic cancer. In stage 1 pancreatic cancer, abnormal cells are in the top layer of pancreatic duct cells in the pancreas lining (carcinoma in situ). In stage I pancreatic cancer, the cancer is only inside the pancreas. In stage 2 pancreatic cancer, the tumor may have spread to nearby tissues, organs or lymph nodes. In stage 3 pancreatic cancer, the cancer has spread to major blood vessels near the pancreas and may have spread to more lymph nodes. In stage 4 pancreatic cancer, the cancer has metastasized to other distint organs such as the liver, lungs, stomach, bladder, esophagus or the lining of abdomen and/or lymph nodes.
If you or someone you love took Zantac or Ranitidine and suffered from pancreatic cancer, you may be entitled to compensation from a Zantac pancreatic cancer lawsuit or settlement. Contact a drug injury lawyer to request a free case review.
*If you or a loved one are experiencing health issues, side effects or complications after taking a prescription drug or medication, we urge you to promptly consult with your doctor or physician for an evaluation.
**The listing of a company (e.g., Sandoz, Sanofi, Apotex, Perrigo, Lannett or Novitium) or product (e.g., Zantac or Ranitidine) is not meant to state or imply that the company acted illegally or improperly or that the product is unsafe or defective; rather only that an investigation may be, is or was being conducted to determine whether legal rights have been violated.
***The use of any trademarks, tradenames or service marks is solely for product identification and/or informational purposes.
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