Cholelithiasis and alcohol abuse are two leading causes of acute pancreatitis. However, in rare cases, especially in younger patients, episodes of acute pancreatitis cannot be attributed to any of these two causes. In such cases, doctors usually recommend gallbladder removal surgery (cholecystectomy) or advise patients to see this episode as a single and isolated event. Although such an episode of acute pancreatitis may appear not to have an exact cause (unexplained), it may actually be the first sign of pancreatic cancer.  

Drawing an association between an acute pancreatitis episode and pancreatic cancer diagnosis is complex. It requires thorough knowledge that will allow doctors to detect and look into each case successfully. Unfortunately, more often than not, pancreatitis episodes are attributed to other causes. As a result, a considerable amount of time passes before the patient gets diagnosed. In the meantime, the tumor grows and spreads. 

After extensive research in reputable pancreatic centers over the 1990s, experts now know that this type of cancer is the so-called intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). This term describes an overproduction of mucus by the cells of the pancreas. This thick and watery mucus flows (fills) the pancreatic duct and impedes the smooth flow of the pancreatic fluid to the intestine, increasing pressure within the pancreas, thus leading to the development of pancreatitis.

Diagnosis is significant for the two following reasons: 

1. IPMN may lead to recurrent pancreatitis, which may sometimes be severe, while
2. in some cases, IPMN, while initially benign, may develop into pancreatic cancer over time. 

Unfortunately, this recently discovered disease remains unknown to the majority of pathologists and surgeons. Specialized and experienced surgeons must diagnose the condition on time. An inaccurate or wrong diagnosis may make patients follow incorrect treatments (e.g., cholecystectomy, assuming that gallstones are the cause of pancreatitis), while the actual cause is still there, leading to recurrent pancreatitis episodes and increasing the risk of cancer development. 

Highly-specialized and pancreatitis-specific tests must be carried out to confirm each diagnosis provided that the surgeon has identified the issue correctly and promptly. Our team of surgeons is highly experienced, as the first global scientific publication in this field came from Mayo Clinic, where we were involved in all relevant clinical research and studies. If the correct diagnosis is made on time and if the small mucous-producing part of the pancreas gets removed, the treatment is complete and radical for the rest of the patient’s life, who is no longer at risk of developing pancreatic cancer.