Pancreas
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Acute pancreatitis (AP) has been recognized as a presentation of patients with pancreatic carcinoma (PC). However, the natural history of patients with PC who present with AP as the first manifestation is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the time between the presentation of AP and diagnosis of PC and what factors should alert the clinician to suspect underlying PC in patients with AP. ⋯ Patients with PC who presented with AP were generally older than 50 years of age and the severity of the pancreatitis was mild. The survival rate of patients with PC who presented initially with AP was >25% at 1 year compared with 20% 1 year overall survival of patients with PC. AP seems to be an early presentation of PC and should be sought in patients with idiopathic pancreatitis.