Підшлункова залоза біля шлунка.

Yes—from an English point of view, it feels like is is missing. In Ukrainian, the present-tense verb є (is/are) is often omitted in simple statements.

So:

Підшлункова залоза біля шлунка.
literally looks like: Pancreas near stomach.
but naturally means: The pancreas is near the stomach.

This is completely normal Ukrainian sentence structure.

Because the preposition біля (near, by) requires the genitive case.

• dictionary form: шлунок = stomach
• after біля: біля шлунка = near the stomach

So the case change is caused by the preposition.

It is a two-word noun phrase:

• підшлункова = an adjective
• залоза = gland

Together they mean pancreas.

Literally, the term is something like the gland under the stomach. Ukrainian often uses multi-word anatomical terms like this.

Because it agrees with залоза, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Ukrainian, adjectives must match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since залоза is feminine singular nominative, the adjective is also feminine singular nominative:

• підшлункова залоза

Because it is the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the nominative case.

The part that changes is шлунок, because it comes after біля, and біля requires the genitive:

• підшлункова залоза = nominative
• біля шлунка = genitive after біля

So each part of the sentence behaves according to its role.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English word order.

For example, these are all possible, depending on emphasis:

• Підшлункова залоза біля шлунка.
• Біля шлунка підшлункова залоза.

The first one is the most neutral for a learner.
Changing the order usually changes focus or style, not the basic meaning.

Because Ukrainian has no articles.

English uses:

• the pancreas
• the stomach

Ukrainian simply says:

• підшлункова залоза
• шлунка

Whether something means a or the is understood from context.

Usually yes, but depending on context it can also feel like:

• near
• by
• close to

So біля шлунка means near the stomach / by the stomach.

It does not always mean immediate physical contact; it usually just shows location nearby.

In everyday speech, yes, Ukrainians often shorten it to підшлункова if the meaning is clear.

But in careful, medical, or learner-style language, підшлункова залоза is the full form.

So:

• підшлункова залоза = full, precise term
• підшлункова = common shortened form

Yes. It is short, but completely natural.

Ukrainian often allows simple location statements without an expressed verb in the present tense. So this is a normal, complete sentence meaning that one thing is located near another.

It is especially natural in:

• descriptions
• textbook language
• anatomical explanations
• labels and simple factual statements