Tests to Diagnose Pancreatic Cancer: A Pancreatic Doctor Explains

Introduction

If you suffer from signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, doctors will recommend certain exams and tests to find the cause, says the best pancreatic doctor in Kolkata. If cancer is detected, doctors will perform more tests to help determine the cancer stage.

 

 

Some of these tests include - 

Medical history and physical exam

Upon your visit to a doctor, you will be asked about your medical history and symptoms. The doctor might also ask you about possible risk factors, including your family history and smoking behavior.

Pancreatic cancer can cause the liver or gallbladder to swell. Therefore doctors also perform a physical examination to determine if the two organs are swollen. Doctors will also check your skin and the whites of your eyes for jaundice.

Suppose the results from the physical exam appear abnormal. In that case, the doctor will probably prescribe further tests to help find the problem. 

Imaging tests

Doctors will prescribe imaging tests based on the results of your physical exams, says the best pancreatic cancer doctor. The imaging tests include x-rays, magnetic fields, sound waves, or radioactive substances to create images of the inside of your body. Imaging tests help:

• look for suspicious areas that might contain cancer

• learn how far cancer may have spread

• determine if treatment is working

• look for signs of cancer coming back after treatment

The imaging tests include – 

• Computed tomography (CT) scan 

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 

• Ultrasound 

• Cholangiopancreatography 

• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

• Angiography 

Blood tests

According to a pancreatic specialist doctor in Kolkata, several blood tests can help diagnose pancreatic cancer or determine treatment options if found. 

Here are some blood tests that are used to diagnose pancreatic cancer.

a. Liver function tests: Doctors often recommend blood tests to assess liver function in people with jaundice to help determine its cause. 

 

b. Tumor markers: Tumor markers are chemicals produced by tumor cells. Doctors can detect the tumor markers in the blood of cancer patients through blood tests. However, tumor markers are also produced by some normal cells in our body, and the levels may also be significantly elevated in noncancerous conditions. This limits the potential for tumor marker tests to diagnose cancer accurately. In rare cases, such a test is considered enough to make a firm cancer diagnosis. 

 

c. Other blood tests: Doctors use other tests, like a CBC or chemistry panel, to evaluate a person’s general health, like kidney and bone marrow function. These tests help determine if they’ll be able to withstand the stress of a major operation.

Biopsy

Medical history, physical exam, and imaging test may be enough to determine pancreatic cancer. However, the only way to be sure about the diagnosis is to remove a small tumor sample and examine it under a microscope. The procedure is called a biopsy. According to the best pancreatic doctor in Kolkata, there are different ways to perform biopsies. These include – 

1. Percutaneous (through the skin) biopsy: A doctor inserts a thin, hollow needle through the abdomen skin and into the pancreas to extract a small sample of a tumor. 

2. Endoscopic biopsy: The doctor passes an endoscope down the throat and into the small intestine near the pancreas. An endoscope is a flexible and thin tube with a small video camera attached to the end. According to a pancreatic specialist doctor in Kolkata, the doctor can either pass a needle into the tumor or place a brush to remove cells from the bile or pancreatic ducts.

Surgical biopsy: Surgical biopsies are helpful if the surgeon thinks that cancer has spread beyond the pancreas and wants to look at other organs in the abdomen. The most common method to conduct a surgical biopsy is to use laparoscopy.