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New Tests Spot Tough-to-Detect Cancers Sooner
Posted 3 Jun 2009 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 3 – Mayo Clinic researchers say they have developed new tests that make it easier to diagnose cancers of the pancreas and bile ducts. In a study, the new tests more than doubled the detection rate of these cancers, which frequently are fatal because they often are not discovered until their later stages. "The earlier we can diagnose a patient, the better the types of treatment we can offer, and the more likely they are to have long-term survival after treatment," study senior author Lewis Roberts, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, said in a news release. The results appear in the June issue of Gastroenterology. Doctors typically look for tumors in the bile duct and pancreas region by snaking an endoscope down a patient's throat and into those areas of the body. But because the bile duct is narrow, it is hard for medical personnel to determine what is normal and what is ... Read more
Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer, Biliary Tract Tumor
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