How accurate is a ct scan at diagnosing pancreatic cancer

FormerMember
FormerMember
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I am a 57 year old woman and have had pale stools, sometimes loose sometimes constipation and pain in my left side mainly in my back.  My veins in my arms are also raised.  I have had a range of blood tests, colonoscopy and a ct scan with dye all which have come back clear.  I went privately to see an upper G I specialist for the ct scan and he seems comfortable that I don't have pancreatic cancer.  He has suggested that I wait a few weeks and monitor my symptoms as it may be a pancreatic enzyme deficiency.

how accurate are ct scans?  Could it have missed something?

  • Hello 

    I'm so sorry that you are anxious and stressed. None of us are medically qualified here so we can't really say how accurate ct scans are. However, it does seem that you are in good medical hands and have had useful tests. Perhaps monitoring will bring some more understanding of what is going on.

    Squeaky

  • Hi 

    My Mum had all the tests you mentioned and the team were changing their minds all the time for my Mums diagnosis . The only way they had a positive on the monster was a biopsy . Can you ask for this ? 

    live each day as though it were your last x

  • Hi Gilly62

    I had a series of 3 scans but later the surgical team were open and honest when they told me the scans could not show the extent of the problem. hence  I had a whipples during which biopsies were taken

  • Oh I didn’t realise you’ve had a whipples op. My Mum was too late for surgery in the end, after they said surgery was an option in January. It was too late by March. My mums tumour was fast growing and very aggressive. I don’t know what to advise as the whipples isn’t 100% get out of jail card if you like., as you probably already know. Can you make an app to see your consultant. Stools being pale? Is this normal after the whipples ? 

    live each day as though it were your last x