August 27, 2015 - Pancreas and Bile Duct Cancer Flashcards
5-Year Relative Survival of Pancreatic Cancer
Extremely poor. Between 5-7%. This is one of the worst cancers you can get.
Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer
Obesity
Diabetes
Cigarette smoking
Cholangiocarcinoma Location
May be intrahepatic, perihilar (most often), or distal.
Intrahepatic CCA Presentation
Usually asymptomatic.
Usually not jaundiced.
Usually just with constitutional symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, anorexia, weight loss.
Increased ALP and GGT.
Hilar/Extrahepatic CCA Presentation
Jaundice
Pruritis
Anorexia, malaise, weight loss
ALP, GGT >> ALT, AST
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS)
A great diagnostic imaging test, however may not be as readily available. Can image the entire pancreas, apulla, gall bladder.
Surgical Approach to Pancreatic Cancer
An R0 resection must be achieved to confer any survival benefit. This means aiming for at least a 1cm clear margin from the growth. It is hard to resect at this area without causing critical and lethal damage to nearby structures.
Recurrence Rate After Resection
Unfortunately, still very high even with an R0 resection.
Presentation for Pancreatic or Gall Bladder Cancer
Painless jaundice with weight loss are the ominous signs.