title: How early can pancreatic cancer be recognized? A case report and review of the literature.
abstract: The early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are often very vague. They may precede the diagnosis by years and go unrecognized. This makes pancreatic cancer one of the cancers with the worst survival rates. The progression rate of the early phase might be slower than previously thought. Here, we report a case where symptoms, including thromboembolism and new-onset diabetes mellitus, preceded the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer by 6 years or longer. The awareness of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer is required for being vigilant and further diagnostic tests. A simple clinical model utilizing certain risk factors and symptoms for pancreatic cancer will help stratify the patients for further screening tests.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Nai
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Hongxiu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Mohammed Amzad
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York, N.Y., USA.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Hematology & Oncology, Carteret, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Ibrahim W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Sidhom
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Teena
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Abdalla M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Yousif
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: Shuvendu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sen
keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Early symptoms; Pancreatic cancer; Screening; Thromboembolism
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