DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC CANCER

The disease named as cancer brings a fear on our face. No matter what type of cancer it is, or at what stage, we all know that it is a dangerous disease and should be treated at the earliest. A very complex and difficult type of cancer is pancreatic cancer. Doctors have to look for some alternative treatment for such patients as this kind of cancer cannot be treated with conventional western machines.

It is termed as complex and difficult because it is difficult to diagnose the symptoms and until it is done, this disease has affected the entire body. This kind of cancer is very aggressive in nature and most of the cases; it is too late to be treated.  Our pancreas help in maintaining the blood sugar levels in our body by producing important enzymes and insulin. This helps in the bowel movement or digestion system of the body.

Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have to undergo various tests which can diagnose the position of this disease. A test likes CT scans or enlarged lymph nodes are done to find out any tumour or obstructions in the duct. In some parts of the world, ultrasound is also being used. The tests may vary from patient to patient and their stage of cancer.

Some patients get jaundice because of this cancer, therefore, a special test is conducted to find the blockage or real cause of jaundice. Other tests like ERCP and PTC are also carried out to find out the root cause. ERCP is a time taking procedure. In this a small tube like thing is inserted in the mouth and forwarded to the bowel with a catheter inserted in the bile. After this the X-ray is taken to diagnose the blockage.

In the PTC test, a needle is used to insert the dye through the skin into the liver. This helps in getting the X- ray of the pancreas. In a few cases, doctors make use of the biopsy test to diagnose the disease which is done by a pathologist. Patients who are already at the last stage of pancreatic cancer, but have not started its treatment may make their case worse.  Such treatments or diagnosis must be done periodically to avoid the chances of getting affected by cancer. Such diseases are deadly and if not treated on time can cause troubles in your routine life making it a hell.