Guide To Pancreatic Cancer Tests
Pancreatic cancer initially develops in the cells that make up the pancreas, or the organ responsible for the production of digestive enzymes and secretion of blood sugar managing hormones. Because of its obscure location in the body, tumors in the pancreas are hard to detect in early stages. Routine screening for pancreatic cancer is only recommended at this time for individuals considered high risk. Numerous diagnostic tests can be performed on a patient who has symptoms indicative of pancreatic cancer to determine if it is the underlying cause. When pancreatic cancer is identified, more advanced tests can be used to determine the exact location, severity, extent, and prognosis of the cancer. Because pancreatic cancer is known to spread easily, many diagnostic tests are not only focused on the abdominal area where an individual's pancreas is located but the rest of the body as well.
Blood Tests
When a patient is suspected to have pancreatic cancer, their physician may be able to use blood tests to aid in making a diagnosis. A metabolic panel that includes bilirubin levels can be run on a patient's blood to check for elevated amounts of bilirubin in circulation. A tumor that begins in the pancreas can wrap around the organ and around the ducts that come from the organ, resulting in a duct obstruction. When these ducts become obstructed, bilirubin and other substances intended to drain into the small intestine begin to build up and enter circulation instead of into the intestine. Other blood tests can check for the presence of certain substances produced at higher levels by malignant tumors referred to as tumor markers. Some individuals with pancreatic cancer will have a high level of a tumor marker called carbohydrate antigen 19-9 or CA-19-9. Imbalances of certain hormones, markers of inflammation, and high blood sugar may also be detected in the blood of some patients as a result of their pancreatic cancer.
Positron Emission Tomography Scan
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans are a type of diagnostic imaging test that can reveal patterns in the way a patient's body is using energy. A PET scan is a unique diagnostic test because it shows cellular changes other tests do not. All cells in the body require glucose to carry out their functions. When cells are growing, they require a larger amount of glucose and use it up faster than healthy cells. Cancerous cells are cells in the body that grow and multiply at an uncontrollable rate, using larger quantities of glucose than healthy cells. During a PET scan, the patient is injected with a radioactive tracer or sugar substance. This substance is taken up by the cells in the body using the most glucose, which would be the pancreatic cancer cells if they are present. The PET machine is then able to form a picture that shows where the cells that have taken up the glucose are. PET scans are often used in combination with other diagnostic imaging tests like CT scans to stage pancreatic cancer and evaluate the efficacy of treatment.
