Pancreatic cancer Flashcards
What is pancreatic cancer usually?
Ductal carcinoma of the pancreas
Where does pancreatic cancer usually spread?
Spleen, transverse colon, adrenal gland, lymph nodes, liver, lung, peritoneum
What are the risk factors for pancreatic cancer?
smoking, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, family history, late onset diabetes
What is the clinical presentation of pancreatic cancer?
obstructive jaundice, abdominal pain and weight loss,
What is Courvisiers law?
If the gallbladder is palpable and is painless with jaundice, more likely to be malignancy rather than stones
What are the differential diagnosis for pancreatic cancer?
obstructive jaundice causes such as gallstones, cholangiocarcinoma, strictures, for epigastric pain may be Peptic ulcer disease, pancreatitis, AAA, gastric carcinoma, acute coronary syndrome
What blood tests would be used for pancreatic cancer?
CA19-9 FBC, LFTs for obstructive jaundice
what imaging should be done for pancreatic cancer/
abdominal ultrasound, pancreatic protocol CT scan, PET CT, endoscopic ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy if unclear
What is the management for pancreatic cancer?
radical resection is the only way to cure- Whipples or distal pancreatectomy depending where, chemotherapy and then palliative care
What are functional endocrine tumours?
Tumours that actively secrete hormone and their signs and symptoms will be related to this
What are endocrine tumours of the pancreas usually related to?
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