Pancreatic cancer Flashcards
What is the most common type of pancreatic cancer?
Adenocarcinoma
Is there a good 5 year survival rate with pancreatic cancer?
No
What are the possible risk factors for pancreatic cancer?
increasing age
smoking
diabetes
chronic pancreatitis
hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma
What is a classic symptom of pancreatic cancer?
Painless obstrutive jaundice
How is does pancreatic cancer cause obstructive jaundice?
Blockage of common bile duct from a tumour in the pancreatic head
What are the symptoms of painless obstructive jaundice?
pale stools
dark urine,
pruritus
cholestatic liver function tests
What abdominal masses may be felt in someone with pancreatic cancer?
Hepatomegaly
Gallbladder
What is Courvoisier’s law?
In the presence of painless obstructive jaundice, a palpable gallbladder is unlikely to be due to gallstones
Usually pancreatic cancer
What are the non-specific signs of pancreatic cancer?
Anorexia
Weight loss
Epigastric pain
What will a loss of endocrine function result in?
Diabetes mellitus
What will a loss of exocrine function result in?
Malabsortion
steatorrhoea
What paraneoplastic syndrome is associated with pancreatic cancer more than any other cancer?
Trousseau’s syndrome
What is Trousseau’s sign?
Migratory thrombophlebitis
What is migratory thrombophlebitis?
Inflammatory reaction in a vein that is accompaied by a clot that moves about the body
Where does pancreatic cancer metastasise to early?
Lung
Liver
Bowel
