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Pancreatic cancer is difficult to identify in its early stages. There is currently no standard diagnostic instrument or early detection procedure for pancreatic cancer in the general population. However, imaging and blood tests may be able to detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages in patients who are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Newer testing for early detection of pancreatic cancer may be beneficial for patients who come from high-risk families. (Photo credit: SimpleImages/Moment/Getty Images)
New Delhi: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive digestive system tumor with a dismal prognosis. Because the pancreas is located deep within the body, healthcare workers cannot detect or feel early malignancies during normal physical examinations. People normally do not have symptoms until the cancer has spread to other organs or grown to a big size.
In an interaction with News9Live, Dr. Aakaar Kapoor, CEO and Lead Medical Advisor: City X-Ray and Scan Clinic Founder and Partner: City Imaging & Clinical Labs, spoke about pancreatic cancers and why early detection is a must in case of this painful tumour.
The impact of early detection
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to identify in its early stages. There is currently no standard diagnostic instrument or early detection procedure for pancreatic cancer in the general population. However, imaging and blood tests may be able to detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages in patients who are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Early-stage pancreatic cancer is typically discovered when the cancer’s location causes symptoms to appear early or when testing for unrelated medical illnesses reveals evidence of the disease. However, in most cases, pancreatic cancer is detected when patients are at stage IV.
When cancer is detected early, it is usually smaller and more localized, making it easier to treat with less intrusive techniques than surgery or radiation therapy. This means that patients will heal faster and may experience fewer adverse effects. Early diagnosis and treatment enable people to maintain a higher quality of life, allowing them to continue working, spending time with loved ones, and participating in activities they like.
Testing for pancreatic cancer in people at high risk
Newer testing for early detection of pancreatic cancer may be beneficial for patients who come from high-risk families. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) are the two most often used examinations. These tests are not used to screen the general population, but they may be utilized for those with a significant family history of pancreatic cancer or who have a known genetic abnormality that raises their risk. Doctors have used these tests to detect early, curable pancreatic tumors in some members of high-risk families.
Imaging tests such as ultrasonography, CT scans, MRI scans, and, in rare cases, positron emission tomography scans, often known as PET scans, are used to identify pancreatic cancer.
Blood tests may reveal proteins called tumor markers, which pancreatic cancer cells produce. CA19-9 is a tumor marker test for detecting cancer of the pancreas. Doctors frequently repeat this test throughout and after therapy to determine how the malignancy is responding. A biopsy is a process that involves removing a tiny sample of tissue to check for symptoms of malignancy. Other specialized assays can determine what DNA alterations are present in cancer cells. The results assist your healthcare team in developing your treatment strategy.
Genetic testing is used to identify inherited DNA alterations that raise the risk of cancer. The results of genetic testing may help guide your therapy. The findings can also indicate whether family members are at a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
While the specific etiology of cancer remains unknown. Several variables, however, are known to raise your chance of contracting the condition. These include smoking (the risk for smokers is double that of never-smokers), obesity, Toxic chemical exposure, such as insecticides and asbestos, High intake of red meat and heavy alcohol usage, Diabetes (particularly type 2), which is frequently associated with obesity, Chronic pancreatitis (pancreatic inflammation) is more likely in persons who drink excessively or smoke.
Other non-modifiable risk factors include age (the majority of pancreatic cancer patients are beyond the age of 45). Having specific genetic diseases, such as Lynch syndrome, or genetic abnormalities such as BRCA, ATM, or PALB2, with a family history of pancreatic cancer
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