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| Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death
in the United States as well as around the world. Its incidence
cuts across all racial and socio-economic barriers and is nearly
always fatal. Despite the continued diligent efforts of the
medical community, it is estimated that 25,000 people may die
from this disease this year, with no end in sight. Because
of the lethality of this disease and the failure of standard
treatment to date, future efforts are pinned on the advances
that are being made in the understanding and delineation of
the genetic and molecular cell biology of cancer cells. |
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| Note: Additional information on Pancreatic Cancer medical
treatments can be found under Live > Medical
Treatments. Also visit the FAQ
on Pancreatic Cancer for answers to some common questions. |
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Pancreatic Cancer - Cause, Diagnosis, Treatment and the Future
Robert J. Mayer, M.D.
The frequency of pancreatic cancer in the United States has increased in parallel with the increase in life expectancy of the general population. Approximately 29,000 Americans are expected to develop pancreatic cancer during 2001 of whom more than 98 percent will eventually die of the disease. Pancreatic cancer is presently the fifth most common cause of cancer-related mortality, appears to occur somewhat more often in males than females and in blacks than in whites, and rarely develops before the age of 50. |
ERCP and Pancreatic Disease
Charles D. Ulrich II, M.D. and Stephen P. Martin, M.D.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been used for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases for over 20 years. This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under sedation (rarely under general anesthesia). Using a “side-viewing” endoscope, called a duodenoscope, the duodenal “papilla”-(a mound-like structure that houses the opening of the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct)- is identified and manipulated. The scope contains a working channel through which flexible instruments are passed into the bile and/or pancreatic ducts to diagnose and treat pancreatic diseases. |
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