title: Pancreatic cancer in an Asian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most of the available data on pancreatic cancer are from Western countries. The aim was to characterize pancreatic cancer in Asian patients and to compare it with pancreatic cancer in Caucasians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatients with histologically proven pancreatic cancer were retrospectively recruited at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from January 2005 to December 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study enrolled 100 patients (male:female = 55:45, mean age 62.7 ± 12.9 years). The amount of time between symptom onset and disease diagnosis was 59.89 ± 63.12 days. The common presenting symptoms included abdominal pain or discomfort (71%), weight loss (70%), and jaundice (60%). Fifty-three of the 100 patients had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The most common metastatic organ was the liver (n = 42, 79.25%). The survival rates after 1 and 3 years were 24 and 6%, respectively. The overall median time for survival was 5.1 months (range, 3 days to 62.4 months). According to the multivariate analysis, the staging at the time of diagnosis, serum albumin level, and tumor size were found to independently affect the survival rate. Twenty-two patients underwent endoscopic ultrasound-fine-needle aspiration with the sensitivity rate of 86.4% (19/22).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because pancreatic cancer in Asians may be clinically similar to the disease in Caucasians, the goals of future research of the disease may also be similar in the two populations.
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Pradermchai
authors: P
authors: Kongkam
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Pichit
authors: P
authors: Benjasupattananun
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Pongpeera
authors: P
authors: Taytawat
authors: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Patpong
authors: P
authors: Navicharoen
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Viroj
authors: V
authors: Sriuranpong
authors: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Laddawan
authors: L
authors: Vajragupta
authors: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Naruemon
authors: N
authors: Klaikaew
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Wiriyaporn
authors: W
authors: Ridtitid
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Sombat
authors: S
authors: Treeprasertsuk
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Rungsun
authors: R
authors: Rerknimitr
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Pinit
authors: P
authors: Kullavanijaya
keywords: Pancreas; pancreatic cancer; presentation; prognosis; survival; treatment