Pancreas Cancer Diagnosis

Pancreatic cancer is also called exocrine cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 42,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and over 35,000 people will die from this disease annually, making it the fourth most common cause of cancer death. Early pancreatic cancer does not have symptoms, so it is usually diagnosed at a later stage, which makes it harder to control and treat.

Symptoms

As the disease progresses, symptoms include upper back pain, upper abdomen pain, nausea and vomiting, jaundice and weakness. Because these symptoms can be signs of other illnesses, it is important that they be checked out by a doctor.

Diagnosis

In order to make a correct diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the doctor will do many tests. During the physical exam, she will examine the abdomen to check for any swelling or skin changes, and she will check for jaundice. Laboratory tests, CT scans, ultrasounds and biopsies may also be done. One of the most important lab tests is a CA 19-9. This is a tumor marker that is found to be high in up to 90 percent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although this is not a test that can be used reliably as a general screening test, this tumor marker is helpful in measuring response to treatment in those already diagnosed. When a definitive diagnosis is reached, the cancer can then be staged. Staging the cancer is a process by which the doctor will assess the spread of the disease. The staging affects the kind of treatment that can be done.

Treatment

Those with pancreatic cancer are categorized in one of three groups: those with potentially resectable disease, or treatable by surgery; those with disease that is localized (in one area) but is unresectable and those with metastatic cancer. Surgery is often performed, and the pancreas may be partially or completely removed.

The Whipple procedure is done when the cancer is found in the widest part of the pancreas, called the head. The head of the pancreas is removed, along with part of the small intestine, stomach and bile duct. Depending on the surgeon, she might remove other tissues as well.

A distal pancreatectomy is when the surgeon removes the body and tail of the pancreas and also removes the spleen.

Removal of the entire pancreas, part of the small intestine, part of the stomach, the common bile duct, gallbladder, spleen and lymph nodes is called a total pancreatectomy.

Radiation and chemotherapy may also be used in some sort of combination with surgery.

Metastatic Disease

For patients whose cancer has metastasized, the median survival time is five to eight months. Chemotherapy is given to these people, but it does not significantly extend survival. In a quarter of these patients, a short-term clinical benefit is seen, but not in the long-term.