Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States increasing with age over 40 years. About 1/3 of cases are related to smoking. Most are of unknown cause though a very small number have a hereditary basis.
At the time of diagnosis, only about 20% of pancreatic carcinomas can be removed by surgery and in these cases cure rates are under 50%. In non-resectable cases, median survival is less than one year.
Differential diagnosis:
- lymphoma
- focal pancreatitis
- metastasis