Pancreatic Cancer Flashcards
What are the risk factors for Pancreatic cancer? (7 things)
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Carcinogens
- DM
- Chronic Pancreatitis
- High waist circumference
- High fat + Red / Processed meat diet
What type of cancer is Pancreatic cancer usually?
Ductal adenocarcinoma
What is a characteristic of Ductal adenocarcinomas? (2 things)
- Metastasize early
- Present late
Which part of the pancreas do most pancreatic cancers arise in? (4 things)
- 60% = pancreas head
- 25% = pancreas body
- 15% = pancreas tail
- A few in ampulla of Vater / pancreatic islet cells
Which pancreatic cancer arises in the ampulla of Vater?
Ampullary tumour
Which pancreatic cancers arise in the pancreatic islet cells? (5 things)
- Insulinoma
- Gastrinoma
- Glucagonoma
- Somatostanimo
- VIPomas
Which pancreatic cancers have better prognosis than the rest? (2 things)
- Ampulla of Vater cancers
- Pancreatic islet cell cancers
What is the genetic significance of pancreatic cancer?
95% have mutations in KRAS2 gene
Where do Pancreatic cancers spread to? (4 things)
- Liver (FIRST)
- Peritoneum
- Lungs
- Bones
What is the key CF that should make you instantly think of Pancreatic HEAD Cancer as a differential?
Painless Obstructive Jaundice
How does Pancreatic HEAD cancer cause Obstructive jaundice?
Tumour of pancreas HEAD grows and compresses bile ducts
What is the other DD of Painless Obstructive Jaundice?
Cholangiocarcinoma
What are the CF of Painless Obstructive Jaundice in Pancreatic HEAD Cancer? (4 things)
- Yellow skin + sclera
- Pale stools
- Dark urine
- Generalised itching
What do 75% of Pancreatic BODY / TAIL Cancers present with? (3 things)
- Epigastric pain
- Radiates to back
- Relieved by sitting forward
What are the other CF of Pancreatic Cancers? (10 things)
- Palpable gall bladder (Courvoisiers’s Sign)
- Ascites
- N + V + D
- Change in bowel habits
- Rastafarian lymphadenopathy
- Epigastric mass
- jAndince
- Splenomegaly + Hepatomegaly
- Weight loss (late)
- New onset DM / Worsening T2DM (late)