Pancreatic cancer physical examination
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2];Parminder Dhingra, M.D. [3]
Overview
Physical examination of patients with pancreatic cancer is usually remarkable for tenderness, weight loss, and jaundice.
Physical Examination
- Malignancies in the pancreatic body or tail usually present with tenderness and weight loss, while those in the head of the gland typically present with steatorrhea, weight loss, and jaundice
- Courvoisier sign defines the presence of jaundice and a painlessly distended gallbladder as strongly indicative of pancreatic cancer, and may be used to distinguish pancreatic cancer from gallstones
- Trousseau's syndrome, in which blood clots form spontaneously in the portal blood vessels, the deep veins of the extremities, or the superficial veins anywhere on the body, may be associated with pancreatic cancer, and is found in about 10% of cases