Pancreatic cancer is a notoriously lethal cancer. Because early symptoms are nonspecific, approximately 30% of patients present with locally advanced disease and approximately 50% with metastatic disease. Five percent of patients with nonmetastatic disease have borderline resectable tumors, and treatment with chemotherapy can often lead to a successful, margin-negative resection. However, locally advanced unresectable disease is rarely rendered operable with chemotherapy and is incurable. Nevertheless, while prognosis is typically poor, with response to treatment, some patients may ultimately undergo surgery with curative intent with survival rates comparable to those of patients whose disease is resectable at the time of original diagnosis. Awareness of current diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines is crucial to provide optimal treatment to these patients.
Are you familiar with diagnostic criteria and current treatment guidelines for locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer? Test yourself with this short quiz.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Michael J. Pishvaian. Fast Five Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Locally Advanced, Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer - Medscape - Sep 26, 2018.
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