Summary: Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with late-presenting nonspecific symptoms and consequently poor life expectancy of patients diagnosed with this condition. There is an urgent need for improved screening schemes that would enable family medicine physicians to single out individuals with certain risk factors, especially obesity, nicotinism, a positive family history and diabetes. Although there are several imaging techniques available to visualize the pancreas, their purpose of use should be acknowledged, with emphasis placed on endosonography characterized by the highest sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this review is to summarize the current view on pancreatic cancer and the possible role of general practitioners in detecting the disease at an early stage.