Pancreatic cancer arises from the glandular part of the pancreas and is the fifth most common cause for cancer related death in the UK. It. Ampullary carcinoma arises from the epithelium of the ampulla of Vater into which the common bile duct and pancreatic duct drain. Cholangiocarcinoma arises from the bile duct epithelium, and may occur within the intra-pancreatic portion of the distal common bile duct mimicking a pancreatic malignancy. Cancers arising from these origins often cause obstructive jaundice and are hard to distinguish. Surgery is indicated for the treatment of these types of malignant tumours, and the definitive final diagnosis is usually not known until the specimen is examined. This situation does not allow specific treatment to be given pre-operatively, so-called 'neo-adjuvant therapy'. The rationale for this approach is that in a proportion of patients the tumour will be made smaller by this treatment, which may facilitate surgical resection.
