Pancreatic cancer causing acute pancreatitis: a comparative study with cancer patients without pancreatitis and pancreatitis patients without cancer. Issue 6 (August 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Minato, Yohei; Kamisawa, Terumi; Tabata, Taku; Hara, Seiichi; Kuruma, Sawako; Chiba, Kazuro; Kuwata, Go; Fujiwara, Takashi; Egashira, Hideto; Koizumi, Koichi; Saito, Itaru; Endo, Yuka; Koizumi, Satomi; Fujiwara, Junko; Arakawa, Takeo; Momma, Kumiko; Kurata, Masanao; Honda, Goro
• Is Part Of: Journal of hepato-biliary-pancreatic sciences. Volume 20:Issue 6(2013)
• Page Start: 628
• Page End: 633
• Publication Date: 2013-08
• Subjects: Liver -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Biliary tract -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Pancreas -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 617.556
• DOI: 10.1007/s00534-013-0598-y
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1868-6974

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="jhbp2057-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background/purpose</title> <p>Although pancreatic cancer produces upstream obstructive pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis is a less common manifestation of pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to clarify the subgroup of pancreatic cancer patients who present with an episode of acute pancreatitis (Group I) in comparison with a matched group of pancreatic cancer patients without pancreatitis (Group II) and another group of acute pancreatitis patients without pancreatic cancer (Group III).</p> </sec> <sec id="jhbp2057-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>This was a retrospective comparative study of 18 patients in Group I, 300 patients in Group II and 141 patients in Group III.</p> </sec> <sec id="jhbp2057-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>The mean age of Group I was 63.7 years and the male to female ration was 1:0.3. Serum CA 19–9 levels were elevated in 80 %. The main pancreatic duct was incompletely obstructed in 7 patients. There were no significant differences in location of tumor, clinical stage, resection rate and survival months between Group I and II. Acute pancreatitis secondary to pancreatic cancer was more likely to be mild (94 vs. 72 %, <italic>p</italic> < 0.05) and relapsed (39 vs. 16 %, <italic>p</italic> < 0.05) compared with Group III.</p> </sec> <sec id="jhbp2057-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Anatomic evaluation of the pancreas should be performed in patients with acute pancreatitis with no obvious etiology, even if the pancreatitis is mild, to search for underlying malignancy.</p> </sec> </abstract>