Contemporary Management of Pancreatic Cancer from an Internist Perspective

Abstract

Primary care physicians are in a favorable position to curb the growing burden of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This review aims to provide an overview of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma from a primary care perspective, with a specific focus on risk factors, selection of high-risk individuals for screening, patient presentation at the primary-care clinic, and the role of the internist in supportive care. Overall, the internist is an essential member of the multidisciplinary care team with respect to optimizing patients' quality of life across various stages of the pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Genetic susceptibility; Internist perspective; Pancreatic cancer screening; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma from the perspective of primary-care physicians; Treatment side effect.