Pancreatic Cancer Quiz

Which of the following is an example of a non-modifiable risk factor for pancreatic cancer: Smoking; Obesity and Inactivity; Long Term Excessive Alcohol Use; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome; or Poorly Controlled Type-2 Diabetes?

Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome

Good or Bad Candidate for Screening: Shaggy, a 68 year old chain smoking diabetic with chronic pancreatitis?

Bad Candidate

Your next patient is Mr. Carotene, a 76 year old male. The referral letter is brief: “76 year old male, history of Type 2 diabetes poorly controlled, known to be from a family with BRCA2 mutations, 50 year pack history smoking cigarettes, painless jaundice for 3 weeks”. Based on the note alone, what is your leading diagnoses?

Pancreatic Head or Neck Cancer

What is a tumor marker that may be used in the laboratory workup of pancreatic cancer?

CA 19-9

What would be your chosen modality for a patient presenting with jaundice but no epigastric pain or weight loss?

Ultrasound

What is the most common form of Pancreatic neoplasm?

Ductal Adenocarcinoma

What is the surgical technique for resection of cancer on the head of the pancreas?

Whipple’s Procedure

If you have a patient with a known pancreatic cancer that has the following characteristics: 3 cm in longest direction, 2 regional lymph nodes, no distant metastasis. What TNM stage would it be?

T2, N1, M0

Knowing the poor prognosis associated with pancreatic cancer, what would be a reasonable thing to tell a patient with regards to their prognosis if they have been newly diagnosed with this dease? Formulate answer in this format: [The prognosis of pancreatic cancer is (unfortunately poor/good), but survival estimates (change based on treatment/are high in all forms of treatment/approach 5% even with the best treament for all stages/are highest in those treated with surgical resction).

Unfortunately poor; change based on treatment