Pancreatic cancer is hard to find early. The pancreas is deep inside the body, so early tumors can’t be seen or felt by health care providers during routine physical exams. People usually have no symptoms until the cancer has become very large or has already spread to other organs.

Medical history and physical exam

Your doctor will ask about your medical history to learn more about your symptoms. The doctor might also ask about possible risk factors, including smoking and your family history.

Your doctor will also examine you to look for signs of pancreatic cancer or other health problems. Pancreatic cancers can sometimes cause the liver or gallbladder to swell, which the doctor might be able to feel during the exam. Your skin and the whites of your eyes will also be checked for jaundice (yellowing)

Imaging tests

Imaging tests use x-rays, magnetic fields, sound waves, or radioactive substances to create pictures of the inside of your body. Imaging tests might be done for a number of reasons both before and after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, includ

• Computed tomography (CT) scan
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Ultrasound
• Cholangiopancreatography
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
• Angiography
• Blood tests
• Biopsy

Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

Avoiding surgery with the right diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer can be very difficult to distinguish from another relatively uncommon disease called autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). AIP is a noncancerous (benign) condition that can be treated with steroids without the need for surgery, if diagnosed early enough. Mayo Clinic pancreas experts are leaders in developing diagnostic criteria for AIP.

Basing treatment decisions on advanced imaging. Pancreatic CT, multidetector CT angiography, PET and MRI.

Performing surgery when tumors affect nearby blood vessels. Many people are not considered eligible for the Whipple procedure or other pancreatic surgeries if their tumors involve nearby blood vessels.

Performing minimally invasive pancreatic surgery. Surgeons now perform complex pancreatic cancer operations using either small incisions (laparoscopy) or robotic techniques, which have been shown to allow for a faster recovery. Mayo Clinic surgeons were among the first in the United States to perform these minimally invasive surgeries for people with pancreatic cancer.

Using proton beam therapy. Radiation oncologists use advanced techniques and technologies, including proton therapy, which focuses high-energy radiation on the cancer while sparing nearby healthy tissue.