Get support
If you have questions about your diagnosis and treatment options, speak to your doctor or nurse.
You can also speak to our specialist nurses on our free Support Line.
Stages of pancreatic cancer
- What is stage 1 pancreatic cancer?
- What is stage 2 pancreatic cancer?
- What is stage 3 pancreatic cancer?
- What is stage 4 pancreatic cancer?
You may be told the stage of cancer. This describes the size of the cancer, if it has spread outside the pancreas and where to.
What does stage 2 pancreatic cancer mean?
Stage 2 cancer means that the cancer may have grown larger than stage 1. It may have spread to a small number of lymph nodes near the pancreas. It has not spread to large blood vessels near the pancreas.
This is localised pancreatic cancer. It is also called operable or resectable cancer because surgery to remove the cancer may be possible.
What are the symptoms of stage 2 pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms in the early stages. The symptoms may not be specific to pancreatic cancer, and they may come and go. This means pancreatic cancer can be hard to diagnose early.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include indigestion, pain in your tummy or back, changes to your poo, losing weight without meaning to, and jaundice. Speak to your doctor or nurse if you have any symptoms or side effects, for help managing them.
What are the possible treatments for stage 2 pancreatic cancer?
You might be able to have surgery to remove the cancer, but this depends on how far it has spread. You might also be offered chemotherapy. This can sometimes be followed with chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy).
Read more about cancer that can be removed with surgery and treatments for pancreatic cancer.
What’s the survival rate or prognosis for stage 2 pancreatic cancer?
Some people want to know whether their cancer can be cured, or how long they may have left to live. This is called your prognosis, outlook or life expectancy.
This will be different for each person, and depends on several things. It’s important to talk to your doctor about your own situation, if you want to know more. We have more information explaining prognosis.
Speak to our nurses
Read our booklet for people just diagnosed
If you have just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and have been told you can have surgery, download our booklet: Pancreatic cancer that can be removed by surgery. A guide if you have just been diagnosed.
You can also order a printed copy.
References
We have listed some of the references to the sources used to write this information. If you would like the full list of references, email us at publications@pancreaticcancer.org.uk
- National Cancer Institute. Stage Information for Pancreatic Cancer [Online] Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/types/pancreatic/hp/pancreatic-treatment-pdq
- McIntyre C and Winter J. Diagnostic evaluation and staging of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Seminars in Oncology, 42:19-27, 2015.
- Huang L, Jansen L, et al. Stratified survival of resected and overall pancreatic cancer patients in Europe and the USA in the early twenty-first century: a large, international population-based study. BMC Medicine. 2018 Aug 21;16(1):125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-018-1120-9
- Conroy T, Castan F, et al. Five-Year Outcomes of FOLFIRINOX vs Gemcitabine as Adjuvant Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncology. 2022 Nov 1;8(11):1571–8. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.3829
- Kharat A, Tan Chia Jie, et al. Survival benefits and safety of chemotherapy regimens for pancreatic cancer: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Ann Pancreat Disord Treatm. 2022 Jun 3;4(1):001–20 https://www.peertechzpublications.org/articles/APDT-4-108.php
Published March 2026
To be reviewed March 2029