Blood Tests
Blood tests are the least invasive. They can be performed on a small sample of blood taken from the patient.
- Liver function test, (LFTs) are sometimes suggested by the doctor to assess the associated functional abnormality in the liver due to pancreatic pathology.
- Testing for CA 19-9. Tumor cells have certain proteins on their surface. These proteins called antigens can be detected in the blood sample. However, this test is neither specific nor sensitive for pancreatic cancer. There can be a number of false positive or false negative results. Still, the test is sometimes used to give an idea of disease progression.