More than a third (36%) of PIPC cases are avoidable

A study published in UEG Week 2022 shows that pancreatic cancer tumors are being missed by CT and MRI scans, narrowing the window for life-saving curative surgery

The study analyzed post-imaging pancreatic cancer (PIPC) cases, where patients underwent imaging that failed to diagnose pancreatic cancer but were subsequently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

The results showed that more than a third (36 percent) of PIPC cases were avoidable, suggesting that detection rates for this cancer, which has a worrying patient prognosis, are low

British researchers studied the records of 600 pancreatic cancer patients between 2016 and 2021

Radiologists independently review CT and MRI images to develop an algorithm to classify missed cases and find the most likely explanation for

Dr Nosheen Umar, lead author of the study from the University of Birmingham in the UK, commented: "Radical surgery for pancreatic cancer usually has only a short period of time, which means that it is crucial to diagnose the disease as early as possible and give them the best chance of

Among patients with PIPC who were examined, nearly half (48%) had signs of tumors missed

Dr Umar explains: "We hope this research will raise awareness of pancreatic cancer problems after imaging and the common causes

Pancreatic cancer kills 95,000 people a year in the EU, the lowest survival rate of any cancer in Europe, life expectancy at the time of diagnosis is only 4.

Many patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage because the disease often exhibits vague early symptoms, making early recognition challenging