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- Physical Examination
- • Jaundice .
- • Abdominal masses.
- • Enlarged gall bladder—50 percent of cases (carcinoma of head of pancreas).
- • Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly).
- • Abdominal fluid (ascites).
- • Enlarged lymph nodes .
- • Phlebitis (swollen legs).
-
- Blood and Other Tests
- • The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is elevated in 50 percent of cases but is nonspecific.
- • CA 19-9 is elevated in 70 to 80 percent of pancreatic cancer cases and is a better test than the CEA because it
- is 87
- percent specific. (In many cases of pancreatic cancer, both the CEA and the CA 19-9 are elevated.)
- • Serum bilirubin is elevated in patients with bile duct obstruction.
- • Serum alkaline phosphatase will be elevated if there are liver or bone metastases or if there is bile duct
- obstruction.
-