Epidemiology:

Commoner than you think

< 2% of all malignancies
~ 6500 deaths/year
Typical patient:
male > 60yrs old
Risk factors:
smoking
alcohol
carcinogens
chronic pancreatitis


Symptoms & signs:
jaundice
pain in the upper or middle abdomen and back
unexplaind weight loss
loss of appetite
fatigue
Investigations:
transabdominal ultrasound
contrast-enhanced spiral CT scan
laparoscopy
ERCP
percutaneous needle biopsy
MRI scanning and endoscopic ultrasound
several tumour markers (CA19-9)

Treatment:
surgery
Whipple`s procedure
total pancreatectomy
distal pancreatectomy
radiation therapy
chemotherapy
Prognosis:
dismal

Mean survival: < 6 months
5yr survival: < 2 %
After Whipple`s procedure: 5-14%

Better if: tumour < 3 cm
no nodes involved
negative resection margins at surgery
ampullary or islet cell tumors

References:

http://www.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancer.gov/CDR0000062957.html
Longmore, Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, Oxford
University Press, 2010