title: Pancreatic carcinoma is associated with delayed gastric emptying.
abstract: Fifteen patients with histologically confirmed pancreatic carcinoma, without evidence of gastroduodenal invasion or obstruction, were prospectively studied to determine the frequency of gastric emptying disorders as determined by a solid-phase gastric emptying study. Nine of these (60%) had gastric emptying curves more than two standard deviations below normal mean values. The majority of patients did not have symptoms of gastric stasis. Nausea and/or vomiting was present in 33% of patients with abnormal gastric emptying and in none of those with normal emptying. Abdominal and/or back pain was present in 8/9 with delayed gastric emptying and in 3/6 with normal emptying. Disordered gastric emptying did not correlate with tumor stage, histology, location, or hyperbilirubinemia. Delayed solid-food gastric emptying may be responsible for the nonspecific abdominal complaints that occur during the course of pancreatic carcinoma, although more frequently, gastroparesis exists on a subclinical level.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007516:Adenoma, Islet Cell / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors