My life insurance premium was scheduled to increase to $600/month. I requested a quote for lower coverage and a medical was required. The blood work looked awful and I was declined. I asked my GP for a re-test to confirm. My ALP and GGT numbers were very high. Indicative of liver problems. I was also extremely anemic. The only outward symptom was itching around my shoulders.
Based on the blood tests, I was scheduled for a sonogram of my liver. Initial impression was granules in my gallbladder. That prompted an MRI for better resolution. It was decided that my gallbladder needed to go. During the laparoscopic removal off my gallbladder, the surgeon dumped some "contrast" down my bile duct. It emptied slowly into my duodenum suggesting a possible blockage. An ERCP was set up. It is a transoral endoscopy that goes past the pyloric valve to investigate the duodenum. A healing duodenal ulcer was noted, but the important find was an adenocarcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater in the presence of high dysplasia. The surgeon cut away the sphincter of Oddi and inserted a stent to help the bile drain. My common bile duct looked like a gym tube sock instead of the narrow, normal tube. The bile backpressure explained the itching symptoms. A "brushing" of the tumor was delivered to pathology and determined to be malignant. That occurred April 10, 2024. The Whipple procedure was scheduled at the Huntsman Cancer Institute for June 25, 2024. There is a long line for the surgeon's services.
The short answer is it was dumb luck to get the blood test results that triggered the sleuthing resulting in a diagnosis. The itching was annoying, but that was the extent of the outward symptoms. I might well have let it go and ended up with a pancreas wiped out by the aggressive ampullary cancer.
I appreciate your detailed reply. Congratulations on your dumb luck!
It was similar dumb luck (required blood tests due to my request for higher life insurance coverage than the baseline provided by my employer) that led to the eventual discovery of aggressive prostate cancer 25 years ago.
Best of (continued) luck on your recovery.