Ct scan found mass on pancreas, adnocarcinoma in acities. pet scan found no masses. doctors said they are confused. what could this be?

Mass: Have an endoscopic ultrasound to look at the pancreas and biopsy any suspicious areas seen. This is the best test.

Need biopsy : The presence of a pancreatic mass on ct is a concerning finding. The possibilities include benign, low grade and aggressive neoplasms. A negative pet scan should exclude aggressive neoplasm such as adenocarcinoma. Biopsy will ultimately be needed to make diagnosis. Minimally invasive biopsy can be performed with ct or endoscopic ultrasound guidance.

Not using glucose: A negative f-18 FDG pet/ct just means there were no areas felt to have abnormally increased glucose consumption. It does not mean no problem, disease or even cancer, since some diseases do not consume much glucose. Please keep working with your health care providers and consider an MRI of the abdomen (with contrast, multiphase and focussed on the areas abnormal on the ct).

Small lesion: If mass found on CT scan then confirmation as to the nature of the tumor to be defined by bx. Ascites with tumor cells could be of different origin or a primary pancreas too small for PET. A transduodenal bx thru endoscop followed by ductal brushngs taken from endoscopic procedure needed. Ca evolves intraductally over a 15-20 yr period in pancreas and is always detected with brushings.