ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Screening, Locoregional Assessment, and Surveillance of Pancreatic Ductal...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly lethal cancer that often presents with vague and indolent symptoms leading to advanced stage diagnosis. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, assessment of locoregional and metastatic disease, surgical planning, and surveillance after neoadjuvant therapy and surgery. This document reviews available imaging modalities that are best used for these clinical scenarios, and a summary of current evidence is provided to support the use of the various modalities in each of the clinical contexts. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where peer reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.