Pancreatic Cancer

Overview

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the US with an annual incidence of 12.3/100,000. Many cases are asymptomatic, but symptoms can include abdominal or back pain, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, painless jaundice, fatigue and depression. Physical findings include abdominal mass, jaundice and ascites. Paraneoplastic syndromes can occur. Diagnostic techniques include ERCP, laparoscopy, needle biopsy, or ascetic fluid cytology. A CA 19-9 level is obtained as a baseline and followed for response or recurrence. Staging involves CT and PET.

Treatment Options

Treatment options include surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, chemoradiation, or chemotherapy alone for metastatic disease. Chemotherapy agents include 5-FU, oxaliplatin, iriniotecan, gemzar, abraxane, and tarceva.

Pancreatic Cancer Specialists

Dr. Raymond Tsao

Dr. Tsao is board certified in medical oncology and hematology. He is currently seeing patients with all types of cancer, with a focus on hematologic and gastrointestinal malignancies, including esophageal, stomach, colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Tsao is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and American Society of Hematology.

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Dr. Vijay Narendran

Dr. Narendran is board certified in medical oncology and hematology. Dr. Narendran treats a variety of cancers and has a special interest in gastrointestinal and hematologic malignancies. Dr. Narendran is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Vijay Narendran.