Pain is usually the complaint that motivates patients to seek a physician's care. Almost all patients with pancreatic cancer will have pain at some point in their disease, caused by pressure from the tumor or by infiltration of the splenic nerves. Patients with cancer in the body or tail of the pancreas frequently experience back or abdominal pain. This pain may lessen after meals or when patients assume the fetal position. Other symptoms of pancreatic cancer include anorexia, weight loss, abdominal distention, diarrhea, and nausea.
Diagnosis is made by physical and radiological examination.
Patients may exhibit obstructive jaundice. Physical exam will frequently reveal an enlarged liver, palpable gallbladder, and a mass in the upper abdomen. In patients with metastatic or unresectable disease who are not candidates for surgery, a CT-guided needle biopsy of the pancreas may be performed to confirm malignancy. Treatment Surgical resection is performed only when disease is localized and the potential for cure exists. Surgery is not done if disease has spread beyond the pancreas.