Pancreatic diseases
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Last reviewed: July 2016
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Pancreatic cancer - Lab Tests Online AU
For an explanation of the pancreas and the words exocrine and endocrine, please see the description under "What is the pancreas?" in Pancreatic diseases.
Read more on Lab Tests Online website
Lipase - Lab Tests Online AU
If you have symptoms of a pancreatic disease, such as severe tummy pain, fever, loss of appetite or nausea
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Pancreatic cancer - myDr.com.au
There are many types of pancreatic cancer. Each requires different treatment and has a different outlook for survival. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
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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 Treatment - Targeting Cancer
Learn more about pancreatic cancer and the different treatments available.
Read more on Radiation Oncology Targeting Cancer website
Pancreatic insufficiency - Lab Tests Online AU
Pancreatic insufficiency is the inability of the pancreas to produce and/or transport enough digestive enzymes to break down food in the intestine and allow its absorption. It typically occurs as a result of chronic pancreatic damage - damage that may be caused by a variety of conditions. It is most frequently associated with cystic fibrosis in children and with chronic pancreatitis in adults; it is less frequently but sometimes associated with pancreatic cancer.
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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.
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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
Qualified cancer nurses can answer your questions about the effects of cancer, explain what will happen during treatment or link you to support groups and other community resources.
Read more on Cancer Council Victoria website
Pancreatic cancer | Better Health Channel
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Pancreatic Cancer (Suspected and Staging)
Home IMAGING PATHWAYS Gastrointestinal Pancreatic and Biliary System Pancreatic Cancer (Suspected and Staging)
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Pancreatitis (Acute)
This pathway provides guidance on the investigation of adult patients with suspected acute pancreatitis and its complications.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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?
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Pancreatitis (Chronic)
Move the mouse cursor over the PINK text boxes inside the flow chart to bring up a pop up box with salient points.
Read more on Diagnostic Imaging Pathways website
Use of antibiotics to prevent infection of dead pancreatic tissue in acute pancreatitis | Cochrane
Acute pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, a serious emergency with no specific treatment. The pancreas, a digestive gland, can become inflamed for many reasons, but mainly as a complication from gallstones or excess alcohol intake. If severe, the pancreas may lose its blood supply, a complication called pancreatic necrosis that can be detected by computed tomography (CT) scanning. Death can occur either early in the disease process in association with uncontrolled inflammatory responses, causing multiple organ-system failure (MOSF), or late when the necrotic tissue becomes infected, which might necessitate major surgery to remove the infection, with the risk of death rising from 10% to over 40%. Antibiotics may prevent later infection and reduce the risk of death, but could also encourage bacterial antibiotic resistance and fungal infections. Controlled trials looking at the value of using prophylactic antibiotics have produced conflicting results.
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