Is this danger from testing for pancreatic cancer, a particular CT or CT's in general?
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A dear friend died of pancreatic cancer. His first symptom was loss of night vision. One reason it is so hard to detect in terms of symptoms is that they are so diverse depending on the part of the pancreas that is affected.
3
My endocrinologist ordered the thyroid tumor marker test from the lab (post thyroidectomy and RI treatment 2 years ago), but they mistakenly did the pancreas tumor marker test instead (this lab does something like this all the time). So how definitive was this that I don't have pancreatic cancer?
3
There is active research on how best to screen for early pancreatic cancer in relatives of those who have had the disease. The usual protocols involve MRIs and EUS (endoscopic ultrasound) rather than CT scans. There is also much research linvestigating screening blood tests. Several large medical centers, including Johns Hopkins and NYU, have family registries and screening protocols, and family members should be referred to these or other centers for advice and follow up.
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From the American Cancer Society re: Endoscopic Ultrasound to diagnose pancreatic cancer:
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS): This test is more accurate than abdominal ultrasound and can be very helpful in diagnosing pancreatic cancer. This test is done with a small ultrasound probe on the tip of an endoscope, which is a thin, flexible tube that doctors use to look inside the digestive tract.
For this test, you will first be sedated (given medicine to make you sleepy). The scope is then passed through your mouth or nose, down through the stomach, and into the first part of the small intestine. It is then pointed toward the pancreas, which is next to the small intestine. The probe on the tip of the endoscope can get very close to the pancreas, so this is a very good way to look at the pancreas. If a tumor is seen, a small, hollow needle can be passed down the endoscope to get biopsy samples of it.
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