That pancreatitis can turn into pancreatic cancer has been proven by long-term studies.
For years there has been a debate whether or not chronic pancreatitis could turn into cancer of the pancreas.
By using markers like the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA test) and CA 19-9, another surface antigen or tumor marker, it has been possible to link these conditions.
Ref. 7 shows that there is a connection from acute to chronic pancreatitis and from chronic pancreatitis in time to cancer of the pancreas. These authors also have shown that congenital conditions with chronic pancreatitis have a higher incidence of cancer of the pancreas later in life supporting their observation. The practical implication is that the above tumor markers should be checked from time to time in these high risk patients. Also the physician will likely order CT scan studies more often in these patients to monitor for any transition towards a cancerous degeneration. Use this link (“Cancer Of The Pancreas”) in the “Related Topics” section below to learn more details about cancer of the pancreas.
From Pancreatitis To Pancreatic Cancer
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More references
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