[How much diagnostics in patients with pancreatic cancer?]

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Oncology
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Pancreatic cancer diagnosis remains challenging, often leading to delayed treatment and unnecessary surgeries.
• Differentiating pancreatic cancer from mass-forming pancreatitis and other pancreatic tumors is critical for appropriate management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and evaluate diagnostic strategies for earlier pancreatic cancer detection.
• To improve the differentiation between pancreatic cancer, mass-forming pancreatitis, and other pancreatic tumors.
• To enhance staging accuracy for reducing non-essential surgical interventions.

Main Methods:

• Review of diagnostic possibilities for pancreatic carcinoma.
• Identification of historical and clinical indicators for diagnostic procedures.
• Evaluation of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) combined with targeted biopsy.
• Assessment of intraoperative fine-needle biopsy (FNB) for challenging cases.

Main Results:

• Upper abdominal complaints and new-onset diabetes mellitus are potential indicators for pancreatic cancer.
• Elevated pancreatic enzymes warrant further investigation for pancreatic malignancy.
• Endoscopic ultrasound with targeted biopsy demonstrates high value in diagnosing pancreatic cancer and differentiating it from chronic pancreatitis.

Conclusions:

• Endoscopic ultrasound with targeted biopsy is a valuable tool for pancreatic cancer diagnosis and differential diagnosis.
• Intraoperative fine-needle biopsy is recommended when differentiation remains inconclusive even during surgery.
• Improved diagnostic accuracy can lead to reduced unnecessary operations for pancreatic conditions.