Diagnosis, investigations and tests

Your medical team may request some of the following tests and investigations:

 

Blood tests – These will check your general health and how well your bone marrow, liver and kidneys are working. There will also be a blood test called Ca19-9 which can be elevated in pancreatic cancer. Read more about blood tests and book your next appointment.

 

CT Scan - CT scans take cross sectional pictures of your body. This normally takes around 20 minutes. You will be injected with contrast dye ahead of your scan to help obtain clearer and more detailed images. Learn more about CT scans.

 

MRI Scan – MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create a three dimensional picture of the body. MRI is used to gather more information in patients being considered for surgery. The scan itself normally takes around 45 minutes to one hour. Discover more about MRI scans.

 

PET CT scan – Positron emission tomography (PET) scans use a glucose injection to identify areas in the body where your cancer may have spread to. This is because glucose is taken up by fast dividing cancer cells. This scan is usually used if you are being considered for surgery. Find out more about PET scans.

 

Endoscopic ultrasound biopsy – This involves a thin flexible tube being used to look at your pancreas and other organs. The team will also take samples of tissue which will be looked at under a microscope in our laboratory.