Pancreatic Cancer | Intermountain

Most pancreatic cancers have no symptoms until the cancer spreads. That’s why most pancreatic cancers (8 out of 10) are diagnosed only after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. When pancreatic cancer is found early, it’s usually because it was found when a person was having a CT scan or imaging for something else.

Although most pancreatic cancers have no symptoms, some may have these symptoms:

• Jaundice. Jaundice is when the eyes and skin turn more yellow because bilirubin builds up in the body. Usually, the liver turns bilirubin into bile and sends it to the intestines so the body can get rid of it. A person can become jaundiced if a pancreatic tumor blocks the bile duct (opening) or the cancer spreads to the liver. The person may also notice dark urine and pale, greasy stool that floats.
• Nausea and vomiting, especially after eating. A person may have pain, nausea, and vomiting if the tumor is putting pressure on the stomach. For rare neuroendocrine cancers, a person may have trouble digesting food because they don’t have enough stomach acid, or severe pain and ulcers from too much stomach acid.
• Unintended weight loss. A person may lose their appetite if the tumor presses on their stomach.
• Stomach or back pain. The exact location of the pain will depend on where the tumor is pressing.
• Blood clot. A blood clot can cause pain, swelling, and redness when it’s in the leg. It can cause shortness of breath when it is in the lungs.
• Fatigue (tiredness).

The doctor will talk to you to find out more about your symptoms and what you are feeling and noticing. The doctor will also ask about your family’s health history. The doctor will examine you to check for jaundice and unusual bumps or swelling in your belly.

Once your doctor suspects that pancreatic cancer is possible, the doctor will have you get one or more these tests to diagnose it.

• CT scan. CT scans usually show the pancreas clearly, so this test is often used to check for tumors on the pancreas. This scan uses x-rays to make pictures of the inside of the body. The doctor may do a special type of CT scan in which the patient receives an injection of dye before getting the scan.
• Abdominal ultrasound. This ultrasound is done on the outside of the abdomen. The sound waves make a picture of the organs inside the abdomen. It is used to find a tumor.
• Endoscopic ultrasound. For this ultrasound, the doctor looks inside the digestive tract with a thin tube that has a small ultrasound probe. After giving the patient anesthesia so they do not feel the procedure, the doctor puts the tube into the stomach and small intestine by passing it through the throat. The ultrasound can get very close to the pancreas, so this test is more accurate than an abdominal ultrasound. The scope can also have a small needle to get a biopsy of the tumor to find out if it’s cancerous.
• MRI. This test makes pictures of the inside of the body by using a magnet and radio waves. CT scans rather than MRIs are usually preferred for finding pancreatic cancer, but the doctor may do some special MRI tests that check pancreatic and bile ducts.
• PET scan. For a PET scan, the patient is given glucose (sugar) mixed with a small amount of radioactive material. The PET scanner can then find cancer cells because they use glucose faster than other cells.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): This test uses X-rays to look at the bile ducts, which are tubes that allow bile to go from the liver to the gallbladder to the small intestine. An endoscope (thin tube) goes through the throat down to the stomach and small intestine. A dye is put into the ducts and an X-ray is taken to see if the ducts are narrowed or blocked. The doctor may un-block the bile ducts during this procedure if needed.
• Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). For this test, dye is injected into the liver or bile ducts through a thin needle that’s put into the liver through the skin below the ribs. The doctor will do this test only if the ERCP can’t be done.
• Blood tests. The doctor may take blood so the lab can look for signs of pancreatic cancer.
• Biopsy. If any scan or image shows a tumor, the doctor will remove some or all of the tumor to see if it is cancerous.