Pancreatic cancer, not poison ivy, caused man's itching - The Columbus Dispatch

My physician assistant (PA) ordered labs and a CT scan of Brian’s abdomen because she had noticed a slight yellowing of his skin and eyes.

I explained that we were waiting on his labs and CT scan and that I would be back once we had some results to discuss.

Normally the liver releases bile (which contains bilirubin) through the common bile duct into the intestines, where it helps with digestion by breaking down fat.

When the common bile duct is blocked, bile cannot get to the intestines and subsequently bilirubin builds up in the body.

I got a phone call from the radiologist a short time later saying Brian had a mass in the head of his pancreas, right next to his liver, that was highly concerning for pancreatic cancer.

The mass was pressing against the common bile duct, which explained why his bilirubin levels were high.

There are several modifiable risk factors for pancreatic cancer, which include smoking, obesity, diabetes, exposure to certain chemicals, and chronic pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.

He didn’t know of any other family members with a history of pancreatic cancer and didn’t have any glaring risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer.