Pancreatic cancer diagnosis

Pancreatic cancer rarely causes symptoms in early stages, which makes early detection challenging. At Penn Medicine, our world-class specialists are experts at diagnosing all types of pancreatic tumors, including precancerous pancreatic cysts that require special monitoring.

We offer a dedicated Pancreatic Cyst Clinic to assess risk and follow your health over time. We’re on your side to make sure you get a precise diagnosis and timely treatment.

Pancreatic cancer tests

At Penn, our doctors have access to a full spectrum of diagnostic tests, including some of the most advanced cancer detection tools available today. You can trust our team to provide a precise diagnosis informed by evidence-based techniques and decades of experience. We want you to have the right diagnosis so that you can move on to the best treatment.

The first step to a cancer diagnosis is often a thorough physical exam and a review of your symptoms. If our specialists suspect you may have pancreatic cancer, they may recommend one or more tests:

• Imaging tests: Advanced imaging tests (such as CT or MRI or endoscopic ultrasound) show clear details of internal organs and tissues. These tests can often confirm if there’s a tumor or abnormality in your pancreas. They also show a tumor’s location and size.
• Biopsy: If imaging tests detect a tumor, your doctor may recommend a biopsy. During this procedure, a doctor uses sophisticated instruments to carefully remove a tiny piece of tumor tissue.
• Blood tests: In some cases, your doctor may order a blood test to check for substances (called tumor markers) made by pancreatic cancer cells.
• Pathology tests: At Penn, a dedicated GI cancer pathologist inspects tissue cells under a microscope to confirm or rule out a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Staging pancreatic cancer

After doctors confirm a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, they may still recommend additional tests to learn more about the cancer affecting you. Doctors call this staging, and it helps inform pancreatic cancer prognosis. It also guides your doctors’ treatment recommendations.

During staging, your doctor will consider several factors, including a tumor’s size and location and whether the cancer has spread. These details help our specialists determine whether cancer removal surgery is a safe option for you.

At Penn, we also perform sophisticated genomic tests to analyze cancer cells’ DNA. This information may point us to new or evolving therapies (some available only through clinical trials) that may benefit you.

Ultimately, our specialists come together to review your test results and weigh all your treatment options. We then create a customized treatment plan. Learn about pancreatic cancer treatments.