Concept and Etiology:
Pancreatic cancer is due to an overgrowth of cells in the pancreas that causes a malignant tumor. It
affects the gastrointestinal system because it hinders the production of digestive enzymes as well as
the production of insulin. This deviates from the definition of health because the body is no longer
able to complete functions to sustain itself.
Classification:
“The staging system used most often for pancreatic cancer is the AJCC (American Joint Committee
on Cancer) TNM system, which is based on 3 key pieces of information:
1. c c c The extent of the tumor (T): How large is the tumor and has it grown outside the pancreas into
nearby blood vessels?
2. c c c The spread to nearby lymph nodes (N): Has the cancer spread to nearby lymph nodes? If so,
how many of the lymph nodes have cancer?
3. c c c The spread (metastasized) to distant sites (M): Has the cancer spread to distant lymph nodes or
distant organs such as the liver, peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), lungs or bones?
Numbers or letters after T, N, and M provide more details about each of these factors. Higher
numbers mean the cancer is more advanced. Once a person’s T, N, and M categories have been
determined, this information is combined in a process called stage grouping to assign an overall
stage.” (American Cancer Association, 2017).
Clinical Manifestations:
“Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer often do not occur until the disease is advanced. They
may include:
Abdominal pain that radiates to your back
Loss of appetite or unintended weight loss
Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Light-colored stools
Dark-colored urine
Itchy skin
New diagnosis of diabetes or existing diabetes that's becoming more difficult to control
Blood clots
Fatigue” (Mayo Clinic, 2021).
Diagnostic Tests:
The most common diagnostic procedures are imaging studies such as CT, MRI, and PET scans.
Endoscopies are also common in which they would also take a biopsy of the tumor to see if it was
benign or malignant. There would also be bloodwork involved in a diagnosis as well.
Concept and Etiology: Peritonitis is an inflammation of the tissue that lines your abdomen (also
called peritoneum) It is usually from a bacterial or fungal infection. It affects the gastrointestinal
system by infecting the peritoneum which if untreated can lead to sepsis (Mabewa et al., 2015). P
peritoneal dialysis therapy is one of the most common causes of peritonitis, so hand hygiene is
important for these patients.
Classification: The World Journal of Emergency Surgery (2015) classifies Peritonitis as “primary,
secondary and tertiary basing on the source and nature of the microbial contamination” (pg.1).
Secondary Peritonitis is the deadliest of the classifications and one of the most common emergency
surgeries, having high morbidity and mortality (Mabewa et al., 2015).
Clinical Manifestations (Symptoms and Signs):
Abdominal pain
Nausea and vomiting
Low urine output
Loss of appetite
Diarrhea
Cloudy dialysis fluid (if on Dialysis)
Diagnostic Tests:
Xray
Ct Scan
Blood and Urine test
MRI
References
John Hopkins Medicine. (2021). Peritonitis. Www.hopkinsmedicine.org.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/peritonitis
Mabewa, A., Seni, J., Chalya, P. L., Mshana, S. E., & Gilyoma, J. M. (2015). Etiology, treatment
outcome, and prognostic factors among patients with secondary peritonitis at Buganda Medical
Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania. World Journal of Emergency Surgery, 10(1).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-015-0042-5
Mayo Clinic. (2018). Peritonitis – symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peritonitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20376247
American Cancer Association. (2017, December 18). Pancreatic Cancer Stages. Retrieved December
9, 2021, from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/detection-diagnosis-
staging/staging.html
Mayo Clinic. (2021, June 6). Pancreatic cancer - Symptoms and causes. Retrieved December 9, 2021,
from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pancreatic-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-
20355421
