system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is pancreatic cancer so sensitive and dangerous to operate on, but diabetics can live without a functioning pancreas?
gpt
The pancreas produces powerful digestive enzymes. Unlike the enzymes in the stomach, which only work in strong acids, pancreatic enzymes work in the considerably less acidic small intestine. These enzymes digest meat, among other things.

People are made of meat at about the right PH for pancreatic enzymes to work. Close enough, at least, that if you even nick the pancreas the wrong way, it will start digesting every organ in the area. This kills the patient. As a result, surgeons are afraid of the pancreas and almost never operate on it. It's a little yellow bag of kills-the-patient and it's really super bad news. Don't touch it. Don't even look at it. Pancreas bad.