Pancreatic lesions

(lumps or cysts in the pancreas)

Lumps or cysts in the pancreas need to be taken very seriously. Often times there are no symptoms and it is found on routine imaging for some other reason. There may be unexplained weight loss. Rarely patients may have pain in the abdomen, pancreatitis or malabsorption.

It is important to exclude cancer of the pancreas.

Investigations may involve blood tests and cancer markers in the blood, imaging such as ultrasound and CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pancreas.

If a closer look at the pancreas is required then an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) procedure is required. In this procedure a camera is placed through the mouth into the stomach and an ultrasound is performed internally to visualize the pancreas. A tissue sample may be obtained to further characterize the lump in the pancreas, or to remove some fluid for testing.