Evidence Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2021; 27(23): 3148-3157
Published online Jun 21, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i23.3148
Pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer: A case of the chicken or the egg
Devica S Umans, Sanne A Hoogenboom, Noor J Sissingh, Selma J Lekkerkerker, Robert C Verdonk, Jeanin E van Hooft
Devica S Umans, Sanne A Hoogenboom, Selma J Lekkerkerker, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
Devica S Umans, Noor J Sissingh, Department of Research and Development, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein 3430 EM, The Netherlands
Noor J Sissingh, Jeanin E van Hooft, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, The Netherlands
Robert C Verdonk, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein 3430 EM, The Netherlands
Author contributions: Umans DS, Hoogenboom SA and Sissingh NJ wrote the initial draft of the manuscript; Lekkerkerker SJ, Verdonk RC and van Hooft JE critically assessed and edited the manuscript; Umans DS coordinated the writing process and revised the manuscript; Umans DS and Verdonk RC provided the images; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have nothing to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Devica S Umans, BSc, Research Associate, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands. d.s.umans@amsterdamumc.nl
Received: January 25, 2021
Peer-review started: January 25, 2021
First decision: February 27, 2021
Revised: March 13, 2021
Accepted: May 8, 2021
Article in press: May 8, 2021
Published online: June 21, 2021
Core Tip

Core Tip: It is essential to distinguish acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis (CP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), as these diseases have different treatment options and prognoses. Idiopathic acute pancreatitis may be a first symptom of PDAC, and endoscopic ultrasonography should therefore be considered. CP may obscure PDAC, and long-standing inflammation may cause PDAC, especially in hereditary CP and patients with a history of nicotine and alcohol abuse. Patients should be counselled in cessation of tobacco and alcohol use. Pancreatitis may mimic PDAC by presenting as a mass on imaging. Specific imaging features can aid in the differentiation between benign and malignant disease.