Pancreatic Cyst?

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Should I be concerned? My doctors found a 5mm cyst in my pancreas while doing a ct scan for a spontaneous pneumothorax. They aren't too concerned just want me to go back in 6 months to have another scan.
if their not concerned and are allowing you to comeback in 6 months, than don't worry.  (+ info)

Is there any medication that can shrink a pancreatic cyst?

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Maybe steroids? Something to avoid surgery.
Mr. Peachy has a lot of good points. There are basically two types of diabetes, adult onset-non-insulin dependant and juvenile onset-insulin-dependant. So, many adult onset diabetes patients often can control their blood sugars with a good diet and exercise and will not suffer any increased risks of infection, kidney disease, macular degeneration, increased risk of infection or nervous system impairment. Many don't need insulin or other anti-diabetic agents. I applaud those who can contol their sugars without medications. I would argue that these patients are the exception. Many adult onset diabetes patients don't eat right or exercise which is in part a reason why they suffer from high blood sugars. Most will have pathological events related to lack of control of their blood sugars. Juvenile onset diabetics likewise who eat right, exercise and use insulin appropriately will also not experience the negative effects of the disease. Often, these patients struggle to maintain adequate blood glucose control because several factors such as illness and stress causes abrupt changes in glucose levels. The pathology occurs when the blood glucose levels are abnormally high or low. A pancreatic cyst can present with diminished insulin production to where the patient may require insulin injections depending on the extent and location of the cyst. Steroids can reduce the size of any cyst or tumor however steroids have a lot of bad side effects of their own such as causing excessively elevated blood sugars. Also, cysts can form cancer and pancreatic cancer is usually fatal within a short period of time. If an experienced medical team recommends surgery, then I would get the surgery to avoid the risks of furthur complications. You can always get a second or third opinion.  (+ info)

How long are you in the hospital when you have a pancreatic cyst removed? What about recovery time?

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4-5 days or less and a week to 10 days with a laparoscopic procedure.  (+ info)

i was just told that i have and cyst on my Pancreatic can it be cancer?

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I had a catscann
yes, it is possible that a cyst can be malignant.  (+ info)

Blood test shows increased liver function, ultrasound showed pancreatic and liver cysts, what could this mean?

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I recently had a blood test reveal increase in liver function, so I had an ultrasound which showed liver and pancreatic cysts. I am scheduled for a CT scan next, and I'm wondering what this might mean. I'm age 21 male.
Cysts are usually fluid filled sacs. However, they may contain particles in them and then are considered to be complex cysts. It is rare, but at times, they can be cancerous. Two different things can happen. If the cysts are in the organ, should they enlarge, they can placed pressure on the surrounding cells of the organ and damage them. The second thing is, if they are in the ducts leading from the liver or pancreas...this can block the flow of bile through these ducts and the bile can back up into the liver and cause cell damage that way.

Most of the time, the doctors will just watch these cysts to make sure they are not enlarging. They don't like to drain them ..but they would rather go in and remove the entire one wall of the cysts and let the fluid be absorbed into the body. The reason for this, is because just draining the fluid...the fluid will just come back fast.

The doctor does different blood tests to check the liver:
1) the liver enzymes will show if there is damage to the liver cells
[these tests are called ALT, AST, GGT, and Alkaline Phosphatase]
2) The liver functions tests will show how well the cells of the liver are able to do the functions the liver does to keep the body well
[these tests are called Bilirubin, INR, Albumin, Pt, Ptt]
3) The liver viral testing to see if a virus has entered the body and is using the liver cells to replicate itself ...like Hepatitis A_B_C

It takes observing these blood tests and comparing them to be sure that the cells of the liver are being damaged. The liver cells make the enzymes and when the liver cells become damaged, the enzymes leak out and go higher on the blood tests results.

Some people inherit cysts. If it is just in the liver...it is known as polycystic liver disease...if in the kidneys, it is known as polycystic kidney disease. You may want to check with your family members and see if anyone had a disease like this.

Wish I could be of more help...this is all the info I have on this. Best wishes to you.  (+ info)

Cost of treatment for removing pancreatic pseudocyst?

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Hi, my dad has a cyst in pancreas and he suffers intermittent pain in the
abdomen.
I would like to know what is the approximate cost of surgery in Bangalore, India?
Please help..
Thanks,
Sudhir
  (+ info)

Where can I find info on Pancreatic Cysts being caused by an allergy to Gluten?

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The thing is....many many odd symptoms can be because of a gluten allergy. You may not have proof unless you STOP eating gluten and te cysts go away. Have you been tested fro Celiac disease? So many weird health problems can arise from gluten allergy. I think a GI specialists would be the best bet to answer this, but I think they would not know. Stop eating gluten and see if they go away!  (+ info)

What make pancreatic cancer so different from other cancers?

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From everything that I have read about pancreatic cancer it is uncurable. Breast cancer, leukemia, and other kinds of cancer can be cured/brought into remission and I was wondering what is so different about pancreatic cancer that does not allow this type of cancer to be cured/go into remission?
Pancreatic cancer can be treated for cure under very specific conditions. It spreads by local invasion and via lymphatic channels. If it is caught early prior to invasion in the local vasculature, it can be treated for cure via several procedures - Whipple (pancreaticoduodenectomy), Total Pancreatectomy, or Distal Pancreatectomy. A major issue is catching it early. The symptoms of this disease early on are usually no symptoms, vague abdominal pain, mild discomfort. It is hard to detect. There is also no good screening that is cost effective. The reason for this is the cancer is not that common, and the tests available are not that cheap. This makes for a very inefficient screening method. The ones out there currently that can detect pancreatic cancer include CT scan of the abdomen and Endoscopic Ultrasound. Both of these tests have their own drawbacks. CT scan of the abdomen involves radiation that may set you up for a cancer. Endoscopic ultrasound requires sedation, a specialist (gastroenterologist), and has risks of perforation. Also the tests need to have a high degree of sensitivity (meaning that there is a high number of people who have the disease also test positive). Endoscopic ultrasound is being used more for symptomatic pancreatic cancer, but I do not know of studies used for screening the general population.

Another issue is it's proximity to other organs. It is near the duodenum, stomach, inferior vena cava, aorta. It is also a part of the biliary system and liver. It can spread to many important organs easily.

There is some increased hope on the horizon as new chemotherapy drugs are being developed. Dr. Vickers at the University of Minnesota is doing clinical trials on a new medication that will hopefully help with treating the disease.  (+ info)

What is pancreatic cancer and how do you get it?

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I now know of 5 people who have had Pancreatic cancer and died within 3 months. I don't understand why it isn't caught earlier so people can live. How do you get it? How do you get diagnosed early so doctors can do something about it. We have so much techology out there to fight cancer. Why are people dying of this. Why does this disease kill people so quickly?
Good question. Here is some brief info on it and why it's so hard to diagnose and what the major causes are: http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/ncicdr0000062957

Here is the site for pancreatic cancer:
http://www.pancreatica.org/  (+ info)

How Long Can Someone Expect To Live With Pancreatic Cancer?

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I'm planning on writing a book about a girl whose father is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I've researched a lot, but the one thing I'm having difficulty with is finding out how long the cancer will take to kill him. I realize that this varies a lot based on health and when it's first detected, but can anyone give me a generalization for how long it could be?

Also, what types of diseases would the doctors test him for before they realize what it really is?

Thank you so much!
This isn’t difficult to answer at all and it doesn’t vary all that much. Less than 20% survive the first year. 3% survive 5 years. Nonresectable or stage 4 disease has a median survival of 2-6 months.

Doctors don’t really check for diseases. Tests are run based on history, physical exam and symptoms. What these tests tells them either diagnosis the problem or determines what other tests need to be done. Tests would start with a CT and blood tests, followed by an ERCP or an EUS. MRI is not often used for diagnosis.

I have never seen this disease diagnosed early unless it is diagnosed by accident and those are the only long term survivors I have seen. Patrick Swayze lived just short of 2 years. He was treated with Cyber Knife which is not widely available.  (+ info)

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