Accuracy of Imaging Investigations in Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

Abstract

Pancreatic adenocarcinomas are considered one of the most complicated cancers in terms of treatment options and patient management. Regarding the diagnosis of pancreatic cancers, imaging techniques still play the central role with multiple options such as Computer Tomography (CT), Ultrasound (US), or Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) being available. The study was conducted at the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, at the Radiology and Medical Imaging Department, the Imaging Compartment of the Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, on 170 patients suffering from pancreatic cancer, mostly adenocarcinomas. The neoplastic lesions were described using either US, CT or EUS techniques. The location of the tumor was assessed suing US and CT examination for all 170 patients in the study. There was a statistically significant correlation ([ 0.0001) between US and CT examination in terms of accuracy, with both techniques proving to be highly reliable. For measuring tumor size, 31 patients were evaluated using CT and EUS techniques. EUS proved to be more accurate in comparison to CT examination, with 9 (27%) of the total 31 patients having their tumor size underestimated by CT examination. There are no notable differences between the US evaluation of the tumor location and the actual location identified at the CT scan. As for tumor size, EUS showed greater reliability in evaluating tumor size in comparison to CT examination.