Thousands of pancreatic cancer patients die too early because their disease is missed on scans. This conclusion was made by researchers from the UK.
More than a third of cases of pancreatic cancer could be cured if they were detected earlier. However, a UK study shows that many patients were denied surgery because no signs of cancer were found after the scan. The authors of the study examined over 600 diagnostic images of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer taken between 2019 and 2021.
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One in 12 was categorized as a pancreatic tumor after imaging, when the patient undergoes an MRI or CT scan that does not reveal a tumor. Nearly half of the 48% of patients examined had signs of cancer that had previously been missed when viewed by a hepatobiliary radiologist. In 28%, signs of pancreatic cancer, including enlargement of the bile ducts or pancreatic ducts, were not recognized and investigated further.
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This oversight, according to scientists from the University of Birmingham, cost people their lives. The window of time for pancreatic cancer surgery to be effective is very small. It is extremely important that the disease be diagnosed as early as possible, at the very moment when patients still have a chance of survival. (READ MORE)
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University of Birmingham
Medicine
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