Incidence of pancreatic carcinoma in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Background/aims: Pancreatic carcinoma belongs to the area of conditions with late diagnosis and there is no effective screening method. One possible approach to diagnosing so called early adenocarcinoma, therefore, lies in the identification and systematic examination of individuals in risk for this condition.

Methodology: Between 1992 and 2005 we systematically observed 223 individuals diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis.