BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Although pancreatic cancer produces upstream obstructive pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis is a less common manifestation of pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to clarify the subgroup of pancreatic cancer patients who present with an episode of acute pancreatitis (Group I) in comparison with a matched group of pancreatic cancer patients without pancreatitis (Group II) and another group of acute pancreatitis patients without pancreatic cancer (Group III). METHODS: This was a retrospective comparative study of 18 patients in Group I, 300 patients in Group II and 141 patients in Group III. RESULTS: The mean age of Group I was 63.7 years and the male to female ration was 1:0.3. Serum CA 19-9 levels were elevated in 80 %. The main pancreatic duct was incompletely obstructed in 7 patients. There were no significant differences in location of tumor, clinical stage, resection rate and survival months between Group I and II. Acute pancreatitis secondary to pancreatic cancer was more likely to be mild (94 vs. 72 %,p < 0.05) and relapsed (39 vs. 16 %,p < 0.05) compared with Group III. CONCLUSIONS: Anatomic evaluation of the pancreas should be performed in patients with acute pancreatitis with no obvious etiology, even if the pancreatitis is mild, to search for underlying malignancy.
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Although pancreatic cancer produces upstream obstructive pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis is a less common manifestation of pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to clarify the subgroup of pancreatic cancerpatients who present with an episode of acute pancreatitis (Group I) in comparison with a matched group of pancreatic cancerpatients without pancreatitis (Group II) and another group of acute pancreatitispatients without pancreatic cancer (Group III). METHODS: This was a retrospective comparative study of 18 patients in Group I, 300 patients in Group II and 141 patients in Group III. RESULTS: The mean age of Group I was 63.7 years and the male to female ration was 1:0.3. Serum CA 19-9 levels were elevated in 80 %. The main pancreatic duct was incompletely obstructed in 7 patients. There were no significant differences in location of tumor, clinical stage, resection rate and survival months between Group I and II. Acute pancreatitis secondary to pancreatic cancer was more likely to be mild (94 vs. 72 %,p < 0.05) and relapsed (39 vs. 16 %,p < 0.05) compared with Group III. CONCLUSIONS: Anatomic evaluation of the pancreas should be performed in patients with acute pancreatitis with no obvious etiology, even if the pancreatitis is mild, to search for underlying malignancy.