Doctors use many different tests to see if someone might have pancreatic cancer. Some of these include:
- Imaging
- CT scan (or CAT scan): a special kind of X-ray that lets your medical team see detailed pictures of the pancreas and nearby body parts.
- MRI: This uses magnets instead of X-rays to show a clear picture of the pancreas.
- Ultrasound: This kind of test uses sound waves to take a picture of the pancreas. Sometimes, a small ultrasound tube might be put down into the throat (called endoscopic ultrasound) to see it even more closely.
- Blood Tests: Some blood tests can check for tumor markers, which are signals that may be related to cancer. These tests aren’t perfect — not everyone with cancer shows these signals — but they can help doctors learn more.
- Biopsy: This is when a small piece of pancreas is removed with a needle.The piece is then studied under a microscope to see if there are cancer cells.
- Endoscopy: An endoscope is a thin tube with a camera, inserted down the throat, into the stomach, and toward the pancreas to get a close-up view or take a small sample of cells.
All these tests together help doctors figure out if someone has pancreatic cancer, how big it is, and whether it’s spreading to other parts of the body. This helps doctors choose the best way to treat it.
There are different types of pancreatic cancer. The most common kind is called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This starts in the tubes (ducts) that carry fluids in the pancreas.
Some less common types include:
- Acinar cell carcinoma — starts in the cells that make digestive juices.
- Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) — starts in special cells that control hormones, like insulin.
- Squamous cell carcinoma — a rare kind that forms from flat cells in the pancreas.
- Other types — there are a few other unusual kinds that happen much less often.
Each kind of pancreatic cancer can grow differently and may need different treatments.
Biomarker Testing: Taking a small piece of the tumor or a blood sample to learn more about the cancer. Inside the tumor cells or in the blood, there are special signals or markers — called biomarkers — that tell doctors a lot of helpful information. These signals can show:
- What kind of pancreas cancer is it (like adenocarcinoma or a neuroendocrine tumor).
- If there are changed genes or mutations that make the cancer grow faster or that might respond to special medicines.
- Whether there are certain proteins or other markers that can guide the doctors toward choosing a treatment that might work best for that person.
This information helps doctors find a treatment that’s made just for that person’s cancer — for example, choosing a targeted therapy, a new medication, or a clinical trial that might help attack the cancer more effectively.
Some common biomarkers doctors check for in pancreatic cancer include:
- KRAS
- CDKN2A
- SMAD4
- p53
These can tell doctors a lot about how aggressive the cancer might be or what treatments might work.
Overall, biomarker testing lets doctors look at the unique details of a person’s cancer. This helps them make a treatment plan that is the best match for their health and their disease — hopefully adding more time, reducing symptoms, or improving their quality of life.
