The seemingly innocuous presentation of metastatic pancreatic tail cancer: a case report

ConclusionsThere are many pitfalls in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, especially pancreatic tail cancer due to its vague symptoms. Thus, pancreatic cancer of the tail often presents late with a very poor prognosis. Because there is currently no widespread screening for pancreatic cancer, it is often difficult for practitioners to identify pancreatic tail cancers. Current research suggests that there is a strong association between new-onset diabetes after the age of 50 and pancreatic cancer, and tumors detected at the onset of diabetes are favorable to resection. Pancreatic cancer has also been shown to be associated with certain risk factors, such as smoking, high body mass index, chronic pancreatitis, and a family history of pancreatic cancer. Thus, when patients with presentations similar to our patient ’s with new-onset diabetes after the age of 50, along with vague symptoms such as back or abdominal pain as well as the presence of risk factors, we suggest that it is beneficial for practitioners to maintain a high index of suspicion for pancreatic cancer.
Source: Journal of Medical Case Reports - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research