Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a common gastrointestinal malignancy, and is often associated with a poor prognosis. Challenges to effective screening for pancreatic cancer include low disease prevalence and high cost of screening modalities such as endoscopic ultrasound and cross-sectional imaging. Further, most patients are asymptomatic during the early course of disease, which often leads to delay in diagnosis. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and palliative care.

Figure 1

MRI abdomen showing pancreatic head mass (red arrow). Adjacent to the mass is a dilated pancreatic duct.

Figure 2

EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration with a 22-gauge needle (yellow arrow points to the needle) of the same pancreatic head tumor via transduodenal approach. The tip of the needle is seen inside the mass.