Pancreatic cancer is such a insidious disease because by the time you know you have it, by the time you lose weight, get significantly jaundiced, or have changes in the bloodstream, it’s usually fairly advanced.
But we're seeing more people walk into the ER with signs of pancreatic cancer that we weren't picking up on in the past. These people have diverticulitis, kidney stones, reflux, and are getting a CT scan to check for cancer. If an internist has any patient over the age of 60 or 65, and they start to show up with mid-abdominal pain, discomfort, maybe a new onset of diabetes, you’re seeing them reflexively get CT scans now. Because of this, we're picking up people before they get the typical symptoms of jaundice, weight loss, and severe pain.
Pancreatic cancer is such a insidious disease because by the time
you know you have it, by the time you lose weight, get
significantly jaundiced, or have changes in the bloodstream, it’s
usually fairly advanced. But we're seeing more...
More
NorthShore University HealthSystem answered:Pancreatic cancer is such a insidious disease because by the time you know you have it, by the time you lose weight, get significantly jaundiced, or have changes in the bloodstream, it’s usually fairly advanced.
