Symptoms and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are not specific. Abdominal pain can be a sign of pancreatic cancer, as well as jaundice, significant weight loss, the onset of diabetes or a sudden imbalance of existing diabetes, significant fatigue, or greasy stools. With such varied symptoms, this cancer is therefore often diagnosed at an advanced or metastatic stage, and it is then non-operable. 

Institut Curie is a national expert center for pancreatic cancer, and it works in close collaboration with the Ambroise Pare Hospital in Boulogne-Billancourt. Together, the two organizations have set up a day unit called OnCare, which specializes in the diagnosis and the start of comprehensive care for patients suspected of having pancreatic cancer or another digestive cancer. OnCare makes it possible for patients to see all the necessary practitioners on the same day in order to streamline the routine tests and consultations that must be carried out. On that day, patients receive an initial assessment, which aims to confirm the presence of cancer and its location, and an extension assessment, which determines how far the cancer has spread. 

Patients usually start with an echo-endoscopy (endoscopic ultrasound), one of the most reliable ways to confirm a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Those with metastases may have a liver biopsy, as well as a CT scan if it has not already been performed. Older people can take advantage of an oncogeriatrics consultation. A meeting with a nutritionist doctor is also included. Thus, at the end of the day, the patients leave the unit with a detailed report and a personalized care plan.