Pancreatic diseases
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Last reviewed: May 2018
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Pancreatic cancer real lives | Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Real life stories of people living with Pancreatic cancer. How they were diagnosed, how they live with disease, and how research has an impact.
Read more on Garvan Institute of Medical Research website
Pancreatic cancer fact sheet
Pancreatic cancer occurs when abnormal cells within the pancreas grow in an uncontrolled way
Read more on Cancer Australia website
Pancreatic Cancer - Information, Treatment & Support - CanTeen
Pancreatic cancer is an uncommon condition that usually affects older people. Learn more about causes, diagnosis and treatments with CanTeen.
Read more on CanTeen website
Pancreatic Cancer | myVMC
The pancreas is a triangular-shaped gland that lies behind the stomach. The term pancreatic cancer can refer to several different types of cancer, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (PNET).
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
About pancreatic cancer | Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Read about the risks, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer and Garvan's research for better management and outcomes.
Read more on Garvan Institute of Medical Research website
Pancreatic cancer | Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Find information about pancreatic cancer, real life stories, and Garvan's research focus. We study the genetic characteristics of pancreatic cancer, prognosis and therapeutic responsiveness, and personalised medicine/treatment.
Read more on Garvan Institute of Medical Research website
Pancreatic cancer fact sheet | Cancer Australia
An overview of pancreatic cancer including types, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and finding support.
Read more on Cancer Australia website
Pancreatic cancer - Cancer Pathways
The optimal cancer care pathway outlines critical steps in the patient journey. The pathway describes the optimal cancer care that should be provided at each step.
Read more on Cancer Council Victoria website
Rare Cancers Australia - Directory - Pancreatic Cancer
Rare Cancers Australia is a charity whose purpose is to improve the lives and health outcomes of Australians living with a rare or less common cancer.
Read more on Rare Cancers Australia website
Rare Cancers Australia - Directory - Childhood Pancreatic Cancer
Rare Cancers Australia is a charity whose purpose is to improve the lives and health outcomes of Australians living with a rare or less common cancer.
Read more on Rare Cancers Australia website
Top results
Key-hole (laparoscopic) versus standard access (open) abdominal operation for people with pancreatic cancer | Cochrane
Key-hole (laparoscopic) versus standard access (open) abdominal operation for people with pancreatic cancer
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Pancreatic Cancer (Suspected and Staging)
This pathway provides guidance on imaging patients with suspected pancreatic cancer to confirm the diagnosis and to aid in determining the subsequent course of treatment.
Read more on Diagnostic Imaging Pathways website
Surgical removal of part of the pancreas and other tissues versus other treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer which invades the surrounding structures | Cochrane
Surgical removal of part of the pancreas and other tissues versus other treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer which invades the surrounding structures
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Celiac plexus block (CPB) in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer-related pain | Cochrane
Abdominal pain is a major symptom in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer and is often difficult to treat. Celiac plexus block (CPB) is a safe and effective method for reducing this pain. It involves the chemical destruction of the nerve fibres that convey pain from the abdomen to the brain. We searched for studies comparing CPB with standard analgesic therapy in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer. We were interested in the primary outcome of pain, measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS). We also looked at the amount of opioid (morphine-like drugs) patients took (opioid consumption) and adverse effects of the treatment. Six studies (358 participants) comparing CPB with standard therapy (painkillers) met our inclusion criteria.At four weeks pain scores were significantly lower in the CPB group. Opioid consumption was also significantly lower than in the control group.The main adverse effects were diarrhoea or constipation (this symptom was significantly more likely in the control group, where opioid consumption was higher). Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided CPB is becoming popular as a minimally invasive technique that has fewer risks, but we were not able to find any RCTs assessing this method (current medical literature on this subject is limited to studies without control groups). Although the data on EUS-guided CPB and pain control are promising, we await rigorously designed RCTs that may validate these findings. We conclude that, although statistical evidence is minimal for the superiority of pain relief over analgesic therapy, the fact that CPB causes fewer adverse effects than opioids is important for patients.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Pancreatic enzymes for chronic pancreatitis | Cochrane
Chronic pancreatitis is a condition afflicting nearly 0.04% to 5% of the population worldwide. The disease presents as recurrent episodes of abdominal pain, fatty stools and weight loss, or may be asymptomatic. Patients may develop complications over a variable period of time. Medical treatment often involves prescription of pancreatic enzyme preparations for these patients. This practice is based on studies which have shown the benefit of pancreatic enzymes on various outcomes such as abdominal pain, weight loss, analgesic use, fatty stools and quality of life. However, a collective conclusion about the role of pancreatic enzymes in chronic pancreatitis patients needs to be established from these studies. This systematic review aimed to collect all published and unpublished data on this subject in order to evaluate whether pancreatic enzymes have any benefit on various parameters in chronic pancreatitis, to compare different types of enzyme preparations and to evaluate whether different dosage schedules have any influence on the various outcomes. We included 10 studies in the review. These studies had enrolled small numbers of patients. Though individual studies showed benefit of varying degrees on the parameters mentioned above, we could not pool the results of these studies. With the evidence available so far, no definitive conclusion can be drawn for the benefit of pancreatic enzymes in patients with chronic pancreatitis.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Endoscopy or surgery for patients with chronic pancreatitis and dilated pancreatic duct | Cochrane
Endoscopy and surgery are the treatments of choice in patients with chronic pancreatitis and a dilated pancreatic duct. Pain is the most important symptom in this disease and can be severely debilitating. In addition, chronic pancreatitis can result in malabsorption and/or diabetes due to failure of the gland function of the pancreas.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Pancreatitis (Chronic)
This pathway provides guidance on the imaging of adult patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis.
Read more on Diagnostic Imaging Pathways website
Pancreatitis (Acute)
This pathway provides guidance on the investigation of adult patients with suspected acute pancreatitis and its complications.
Read more on Diagnostic Imaging Pathways website
Duodenum-preserving pancreatic resection versus pancreaticoduodenectomy for chronic pancreatitis | Cochrane
Should the duodenum (upper part of the small intestine) be removed while removing the pancreatic head in people with symptoms of chronic pancreatitis?
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Treatment methods for people with necrotising pancreatitis (pancreatic destruction due to inflammation of pancreas) | Cochrane
Treatment methods for people with necrotising pancreatitis (pancreatic destruction due to inflammation of pancreas)
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
