Pancreatic cancer can look subtle at first, but on the shelf it is a major diagnosis you cannot miss. Painless jaundice, weight loss, dark urine, pale stools, back pain, and Trousseau syndrome should all make you think pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma fast.

In this episode of Surgery Shelf Prep, Chris and Mars walk through the classic presentations of pancreatic head versus body and tail tumors, the key risk factors, and the high-yield diagnostic workup. They break down when to start with ultrasound, when computed tomography is the better next step, why carbohydrate antigen 19-9 is not a screening test, and how to think through resectable versus unresectable disease.

You will learn the difference between Whipple candidates and patients who need palliative treatment, plus the smart shelf distractors that can mimic pancreatic cancer, including cholangitis, chronic pancreatitis, and peptic ulcer disease.

Perfect for medical students who want a fast, organized review of one of the highest-yield hepatopancreaticobiliary topics for the surgery shelf.