胰腺癌是已知最为致命的癌症之一。
The disease is hard to detect and is usually found when it has progressed too far to be cured. But researchers are using new technology that might prevent some people from developing the disease.
这种疾病很难检查出来，通常在病情发展到无法治愈时才被发现。但是研究人员正在使用可能防止某些人患上这种疾病的新技术。
The pancreas is an important organ that produces insulin. Insulin is a hormone that controls the body's blood sugar. The pancreas, however, is hard to see. It is at the back of the abdomen and is covered by the stomach and the liver. That is why doctors have a hard time identifying early tumors during normal physical examinations.
胰腺是产生胰岛素的重要器官。胰岛素是一种控制人体血糖的激素。但是胰腺很难被看到。它在腹部的后面，被胃和肝脏遮挡。这就是为什么医生在普通医学检查期间很难发现胰腺早期肿瘤的原因。
Doctor Somashekar Krishna says that is why only 9 percent of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are alive five years after doctors find the disease. Krishna is an endocrinologist, a person who studies hormones and the organs that produce them.
克里希纳医生表示，这就是为什么只有9%的胰腺癌患者在医生确诊后存活率超过5年的原因所在。克里希纳是一名内分泌学家，负责研究激素和产生激素的器官。
"The cancer doesn't produce any symptoms early on," he said.
他说：“这种癌症早期不会产生任何症状。”
Patricia Beatty went to the hospital with what she thought was a stomach virus. However, during a scan of her stomach, the doctor found a cyst.
帕特里夏·比蒂带着她认为的肠胃病毒感染去了医院。然而医生在对她的胃部进行扫描时发现了一个囊肿。
"He told me that the cyst was there and that it was precancerous," Beatty said.
比蒂表示：“医生告诉我囊肿在那，而且是癌变前期。”
Pancreatic cancer can develop in one of two ways. The disease starts either as a cancerous tumor, or it starts when a cyst becomes cancerous. The difference between a tumor and a cyst is that a tumor is solid, while a cyst is filled with fluid. Cysts on the pancreas are common. Most are not cancerous. Doctors can test fluid from inside the cyst, but it is hard to tell which cysts will develop into cancer.
胰腺癌可以通过两种途径发展而来。这种疾病始于癌性肿瘤，或者始于囊肿癌变。肿瘤和囊肿的区别在于肿瘤是实心的，而囊肿则充满了液体。胰腺上的囊肿很常见，大多数都没有癌变。医生可以检测囊肿内的积液，但是很难确定哪些囊肿会发展为癌症。
Cancerous tumors or cysts can be identified with special imaging tools. But imaging is so costly that it cannot be used as a usual testing device.
癌性肿瘤或囊肿可以通过特殊的影像学工具确诊。但是这种影像学手段非常昂贵，无法作为常规检查设备。
Krishna led a study of a new device that gives doctors a microscopic look at cysts at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Krishna says his study showed that the new device is highly accurate.
克里希纳在俄亥俄州立大学维克斯纳医学中心领导了一项新设备的研究，该设备可以让医生们对囊肿进行微观观察。克里希纳表示，他的研究表明这种新设备非常精确。
"We can diagnose cysts with the accuracy of 96% to 97%," he said.
他说：“我们诊断囊肿的准确率达到了96%到97%。”
The method uses a tiny microscope with a laser light to produce a picture of the inside of the cyst.
它采用带激光的微型显微镜生成囊肿内部的图片。
Krishna and others are training doctors across the U.S. to use this new technology so they can more accurately identify precancerous cysts.
克里希纳等人正在培训全美国的医生使用这种新技术，以便他们可以更准确地诊断癌前囊肿。
However, doctors will only use the new method after other imaging tests are ordered for another reason. That means the cancer will still grow silently in most people until it is too late to save them.
但是由于其它原因，医生们只有在经过其它影像学检查后才能使用这种新方法。这意味着这种癌症仍然会在大多数人的体内默默生长，直到病入膏肓。
Krishna told VOA that a blood test is the most sensible way to find pancreatic cancer early. But he noted that the test has not been developed yet although researchers continue to work on one.
克里希纳对美国之音表示，验血是尽早发现胰腺癌最为合理的方法。但是他指出，尽管研究人员仍在继续努力，但是尚未开发出这种检测手段。
I'm Jonathan Evans.
我是乔纳森·埃文斯。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)