Posted by admin on April 19th, 2009 filed in
Cancers and Tumors
Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is also referred to as a “silent killer”, as the symptoms cannot be detected in early stages, while the later symptoms are usually not specific and are varied. Common symptoms include:
Upper abdomen pain radiating to back, and relieved by leaning forward,
Loss of appetite, and/or nausea and vomiting,
Significant weight loss,
Painless jaundice.
Trousseau sign(blood clots are formed in portal blood vessels, deep veins of extremities, or superficial veins anywhere on the body).
Causes of Pancreatic Cancer
Following can be the causes of pancreatic cancer:
Smoking
Advanced age
Chronic pancreatitis(Inflammation of pancreas, due to excessive alcohol intake or gallstones)
Diabetes mellitus
Family history of pancreatic cancer
Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer
The doctor may suggest any of the following test for diagnosis, if he suspects for pancreatic cancer:
Ultrasound. Uses high-frequency sound waves to create moving images of the pancreas. The sensor is kept on the upper abdomen to obtain images.
Computerized tomography (CT) scan. Uses X-ray images to visualize the internal organs. In some cases, dye is injected into a vein in of the arm to highlight the areas, the doctor wants to see.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Uses a powerful magnetic field and radio waves to create images of the pancreas.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). A thin, flexible tube, is passed down the throat, stomach to the upper part of small intestine, and then air is inflated, to check the openings of pancreas and bile ducts.
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Uses an ultrasound device to make images of pancreas from inside of abdomen. It is passed into the to obtain the images.
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). Injects a dye into liver to highlight bile ducts. Thin needle is inserted into liver and with a special X-ray machine the dye is tracked.
Biopsy. Doctor gets a small sample of tissue from pancreas for examination under a microscope.
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