Pancreatic cancer detection and characterization: state of the art and radiomics

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents a challenge for a multidisciplinary oncology team. Diagnosis of PDAC remains challenging due to overlapping imaging features with benign lesions, notwithstanding great advances with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The term "Radiomics" has recently been introduced to define a mathematical process to extract countless quantitative features from medical images (including each diagnostic technique) with high throughput computing for diagnosis and prediction. This article is an updated overview of the imaging techniques to be employed during detection and characterization of pancreatic cancer diagnostic workup. Particularly, the limitations and advantages of the different imaging techniques are discussed, with a particular focus on functional imaging. This overview is the result of a self-study without protocol and registration number. Articles published in the English language from January 2000 to January 2021 were included. We analyzed 15 papers on radiomics. The possibility of functional imaging, such as CT, MRI, and radiomics has revolutionized pancreatic imaging, improving the detection and characterization of the lesions and allowing a prognosis related to radiological features, favoring the process of personalized medicine.