Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Vater nipple cancer is a malignant tumor of the duodenal papilla. Symptoms of Vater nipple cancer are not characteristic, but they appear at an early stage of cancer development, thanks to which they allow for quick diagnosis of the disease, and thus - increase the patients' prognosis. What are the causes and symptoms of Vater nipple cancer? What is the treatment?

Vater nipple canceris a malignant tumor that arises at the mouth of bile and pancreatic juice from the common bile duct and pancreatic duct to the duodenum. Vater's nipple cancer is one of the cancers in the area calledperiampullary area , which also includes bile duct cancer, duodenal cancer and the most common cancer of the pancreatic head. However, Vater nipple cancer, unlike this group of neoplasms, has a significantly better prognosis . Vater nipple cancer is a cancer that occurs with the frequency of approx. 0.57 / 100 thousand / year and accounts for approx. 2% of gastrointestinal cancer.

Vater nipple cancer - causes and risk factors

Cancer of the Vater nipple is most often diagnosed in the elderly, after the age of 60, more often in men than in women. The risk of its development is significantly (even by 200%) increased by the genetically determined familial polyposis syndrome (FAP).

Vater nipple cancer (tumor) - symptoms

Early symptoms of Vatera nipple cancer

  • jaundice (yellowing of the body shells and whites)
  • itchy skin
  • enlarged liver
  • enlarged, tight gallbladder

Late symptoms of Vater's nipple cancer

  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • lack of appetite
  • weight loss
  • abdominal pain (upper abdomen and right hypochondrium)
  • fatty diarrhea (this is shiny, greasy feces with a very unpleasant smell)
  • low fever

Vater nipple cancer - metastases

Vater's nipple cancer most often metastasizes to the liver and lungs.

Vater nipple cancer - diagnosis

If Vater's nipple cancer is suspected, blood tests are performed, which include the determination of the concentration of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyltranspeptidase, and transaminases.

Duodenoscopy is also performed, i.e. gastroscopy extended by viewingduodenum (including the Vater's nipple located there). Duodenoscopy enables direct imaging of the lesion and taking samples for histopathological examination.

A more advanced test than duodenoscopy is retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). In this case, the endoscope is inserted into the duodenum, then the Vater's nipple is cut or punctured and the biliary contrast is introduced, which is visible on X-rays.

In addition, imaging examinations of the abdominal cavity (USG, CT, MRCP and EUS, i.e. endoscopic ultrasonography) are performed.

Vater's nipple cancer - treatment

The treatment involves Whipple surgery (pancreatoduodenectomy), i.e. removal of the head of the pancreas along with the duodenum (and Vater's papilla), the gallbladder and the antral part of the stomach. Recently, the use of endoscopic methods has been considered in the treatment of early-stage cancer of the Vater nipple, especially in the elderly with high perioperative risk. However, local removal of the cancer carries a high risk of tumor recurrence, therefore Whipple surgery is still the treatment of choice.

If the cancer is at an advanced stage, palliative treatment is used, the only purpose of which is to alleviate the symptoms of the disease. It mainly facilitates the outflow of bile, which is obstructed by the narrowing of the bile ducts by the neoplasm. For this purpose, an incision is made to the Vater's nipple with drainage of the bile ducts.

Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Category:

Oncology