Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) - Ronny Allan - Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Tag: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)

EUS is a type of endoscopic examination. It involves the insertion of a thin tube into the mouth and down into the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. At the tip of the tube is a small ultrasound probe that emits sound waves. These sound waves bounce off of the surrounding structures, such as the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, and liver. These sound waves are then recaptured by the probe and converted into black and white images that are then interpreted by your doctor. Because the pancreas sits next to the stomach and small intestine, EUS allows the physician to get very detailed images of the pancreas. One of the advantages of performing an EUS is that pancreatic biopsies can be obtained at the time of the examination.

19Jul 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Biopsies – tissue is the issue!

Patient Advocacy

Biopsies for suspected cancer 13 years ago on 19th July 2010, I had a liver biopsy. Following some low hemoglobin and some weight loss reported to my GP surgery in May, I met with a specialist on 8th July and after sending me straight for a CT scan on the same day, I eventually had to have a liver biopsy done to confirm the cancer. I won't lie and say it was an enjoyable experience. I vividly remember a lot of discomfort including pain. At the time no-one knew I had metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumours; no-one knew I had associated carcinoid syndrome. I suspect that may have played a part in the discomfort of that important procedure. The doctor carrying out the biopsy had several assistants in the room and sent for…

02Feb 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments

RonnyAllan.NET – Summary of January 2023 – Ronny Allan – Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Newsletters, Patient Advocacy

SummaryGreat start to 2023 and I thank those who continue to support my social media and this blog. I'm keen to hear any suggestions of the sort of thing you would like me to research and publish.The top 10 most-read posts in January are listed below:Paul Hunter Tribute – Snooker champion and Neuroendocrine Cancer patientThe Masters Snooker competition was held in January 2023 and there was a tremendous spike in views at the time of the final. The Masters Trophy was named the Paul Hunter trophy, and this incidentally generates a vast amount of awareness for Neuroendocrine Cancer as most of the hits come from outside the Neuroendocrine community. Click here or on the picture.[caption id="attachment_19993" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Click picture to read more[/caption]Cancer AblationA popular post with the headline of…

08Jan 2023 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

EUS Guided Ablation for small pancreatic NETs (Less than 2cm)

Clinical Trials and Research, Patient Advocacy

To burn or not to burn?I once wrote a post about Pancreatic NET "to cut or not to cut". You can read that here. Surgery for small pancreatic NETs remains controversial with most guidelines and study guidelines recommending surveillance for small primary tumours less than 2cm. There are exceptions to that, e.g. preventative surgery if the tumour is threatening important vessels and for functional cases where the surgery is palliative in nature. Contrast that against some patient perspectives where they just want it cut out (and some will 'surgeon-shop' until they find someone who will).Most pancreatic NET are lower grades (e.g. Grade 1 and 2) well differentiated, most are non-functional, many are localised. Functional tumours such as Insulinoma are mostly small and localised. A lack of sensitive and specific markers that…

07Sep 2018 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer: Diagnosing the Undiagnosed

Patient Advocacy

Neuroendocrine Cancer is one of a number of "difficult to diagnose" conditions. Many types of Neuroendocrine Cancer come with an associated syndrome and these syndromes can mimic everyday illnesses. In many cases, people don't even feel ill while the tumours grow. Most types of this cancer are slow-growing but there are also aggressive versions. Although things appear to be improving in diagnostic terms, it can sometimes take years for someone to be finally diagnosed correctly and get treatment, albeit in some cases, too late for any hope of a curative scenario. It's a very sneaky type of cancer and if left too long it can be life threatening - Click here to find out why. The road to a diagnosis of Neuroendocrine Cancer is often not straight or easy to navigate.…

27Jan 2017 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Endoscopy for NETs – taking the camera to the tumour

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email An Endoscopy is a procedure where the inside of your body is examined using an instrument called an endoscope. This is a long, thin, flexible tube that has a light source and camera at one end. Images of the inside of your body are relayed to a television screen. Endoscopes can be inserted into the body through a natural opening, such as the mouth and down the throat, or through the bottom. The mouth route is more accurately called a Gastroscopy and the anal route is called a Colonoscopy (or a reduced version called a Sigmoidoscopy). An endoscope can also be inserted through a small cut (incision) made in the skin when…

05Nov 2016 by Ronny Allan 8 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – If you can see it, you can detect it!

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship

Content in my review queue (line). Background Scanning is a key diagnostic support and surveillance tool for any cancer. Even though you have elevated bloods or urine (....or not), a picture of your insides is really like a thousand words.... and each picture has a story behind it. Scanning can be a game changer in the hunt for tumours and although scans do not normally confirm the cancer type and grade, they certainly help with that piece of detective work and are key in the staging of the cancer. When I read stories of people in a difficult diagnosis, I always find myself saying 'a scan might resolve this' and I always suggest people should try to get one. Even in the case of a story about late diagnosis or a misdiagnosis, I…