Cancer Information:
Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the second most common gastrointestinal malignancy, with nearly 29,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose because the pancreas lives in a "silent" area of the body. A cancer is a new and abnormal growth that grows uncontrolled and invades the surrounding tissues and sometimes metastasizes (i.e. spreads to other organs). Sometimes the terms tumor and cancer are used synonymously, but this can be misleading. A tumor is not necessarily a cancer. The word tumor simply refers to an abnormal mass. A cancer or neoplastic growth is the same as a malignancy or malignant growth.

When someone is diagnosed with a pancreatic tumor, it usually requires further testing to confirm that it is a cancer (or malignant tumor). These tests include:

Computed Tomography (CT) scanning is a radiographic procedure used for diagnosis. X-rays are taken from a series of different angles and assembled to show a cross- sectional view of internal organs.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a special test that produces very clear, detailed pictures of the organs and structures in the body.

Endoscopic Ultrasound (E.U.S.) is an endoscopic technique that utilizes an endoscope with an ultrasound probe at its tip. The endoscopic ultrasound images allow careful evaluation of the extent of tumor extension within the gastrointestinal tract.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a way to examine your pancreas, pancreatic duct, common bile duct, and/or sphincter of Oddi. The physician uses a long narrow tube called an endoscope to look at these parts of the body and he or she may use contrast dye and x- rays to highlight them.

The most common location for a pancreatic cancer is in the "head" of the pancreas. This is the part of the pancreas that is tucked in next to the small intestines (duodenum) and at the end of the bile duct (the tube that connects the liver to the intestines through which bile is secreted). Surgery offers the greatest potential for prolonged survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. However, it is only performed if the malignancy has not spread beyond the pancreas. In these cases, where the cancer is thought to be resectable, the standard operation is the Whipple or pancreaticoduodenectomy.