Posted on 10/10/2022 9:52:03 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Pancreatic cancer tumors are being missed on CT and MRI scans, narrowing the window for life-saving curative surgery.
The study analyzed post-imaging pancreatic cancer (PIPC) cases, where a patient undergoes imaging that fails to diagnose pancreatic cancer but is then later diagnosed with the disease. Results revealed over a third (36%) of PIPC cases were potentially avoidable, demonstrating a poor detection rate for a cancer that has alarming patient outcomes.
UK researchers studied the records of 600 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2016 and 2021. Of those, 46 (7.7%) patients failed to have their cancer diagnosed through their first scan, but then received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis between 3 and 18 months later.
CT and MRI images were independently reviewed by radiologists to develop an algorithm to categorize the missed cases and identify the most likely explanation for why they were missed.
Dr. Nosheen Umar commented, "It is vital that patients are diagnosed with the disease as early as possible to give them the best chance of survival. The study found that evidence of pancreatic cancer was initially missed in over a third of patients with post-imaging pancreatic cancers, which is a huge window of lost opportunity."
In almost half (48%) of PIPC patients examined, there were signs of cancer that had been missed when scans were reviewed by a specialist hepatobiliary radiologist. In 28% of PIPC patients, imaging signs associated with pancreatic cancer, such as dilated bile or pancreatic ducts, were not recognized and investigated further.
Many patients are diagnosed at a late stage because the disease often presents vague early symptoms, making early recognition challenging. Symptoms can include jaundice, abdominal and back pain, unexplained weight loss and nausea. The complex nature of the disease also makes screening for early diagnosis challenging to implement.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Take your images to a different specialized radiologist, if at all possible.
My cousin died within 10 days after the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Alex Trebek lived 18 months after his diagnosis and treatment.
Not sure, but I think I would prefer the quick exit.
My sister died at age 51 after a miserable year of chemo treatment. Her first symptom was unrelenting upper back pain made worse by lying down. Her provider ordered two courses of physical therapy which did nothing for the pain. By the time she had her first CT scan the tumor was baseball size and had encapsulated two arteries and was diagnosed as Stage 4. The source of the pain was the tumor pressing on a nerve on her posterior abdominal wall. It was a bad scene.
Catching pancreatic cancer before Stage 4 is not so easy. MD Anderson is working to de elope a blood test to catch it earlier.
Once it is detected at Stage 4, death is often weeks to months away. Very few make it to one year.
My mom died 3 months after diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. I’m in such fear it will get me as well.
within a week of her retirement she was diagnosed with panc. cancer.....she died withint 3 weeks....
practically a saint....
my mom too....her sister died of the same thing....actually my mom’s primary was lung cancer or vice versa....
I can only speak to experience as a receptionist in an animal clinic, but our vets never trusted x-rays from other machines than the ones in-house, because the quality of the machines and of their output were all different. I don’t know if it’s the same with MRIs and CTs.
TEN days?? Whaaat? So he must have been in agony before finally going to the doctor??
I didn’t get many details as we live almost 1000 miles apart but he went almost immediately into hospice care, where in my experience they keep you full of morphine.
First colonoscopies, now this.
What’s next? /s
My father passed away in SEP 2015 after being diagnosed in SEP 2014. The oncologist told ME: “Get a PET scan at 50-55, son, this runs in families”. My PCP said not to since it “would turbo charge other cancers like Leukemia and Prostate cancers.”. Thinking of ignoring him and paying out of pocket.
The pancreas is deep in the abdomen. X ray won’t find pancan.
Until we find a blood test for it, the problem of timely diagnosis will persist.
Happened with my Step-Dad. By the time they got their 2nd opinion, it was too late. :(
You can get a head-to-toe MRI done with a 3 Tesla MRI.
The best I found was a Siemens Skyra E11C 70cm Wide Bore MRI. The technology crammed into that beat other manufacturer’s MRIs.
That can effectively at around the 1 millimeter level and some have a series of wavelengths and filters that can see about anything concerning, without contrast.
That won’t kickstart any cancer, but I doubt the PET scan’s tracer does anything bad. I will say those tracer/contrasts for PET don’t find a wide variety of separate issues and sometimes only cancers the contrast is targeted toward, and not other cancers.
In terrible back, front and side pain, I had a CT Scan (without contrast) and was rushed to York Hospital’s Oncology Dept. They were ready to cut me open from neck to groin, but CT w/ contrast and an MRI revealed to to be a grapefruit-sized Pseudo-cyst and inflamed Pancreas and Stomach.
No food for 23 days — just ice chips 5x/day — liquid food portal in left neck vein, saline solution portal in right neck vein, 3 antibiotic IVs in the arms, 4 ERCP (Endoscopies) operations under ‘twilight gas”, weight down from 265 to 134 (-131 LBS) and I was an emaciated skeleton on 24th day, for discharge.
I was also to PSU-Hershey Medical Center & Hospital every few months for past 4yrs, and had another 10 ERCPs there, with my new GI Team.
They drained it thru stents in the stomach, and I’ve been OK since. They also found heart disease (5 stents installed), kidney disease and Diabetes 1. After 1.5yrs on insulin, I’m now Type 2 on Metformin and Jardiance. I take 36 pills, split between morning and evening, for all the maladies.
Thankfully, it wasn’t cancer.
In terrible back, front and side pain, I had a CT Scan (without contrast) and was rushed to York Hospital’s Oncology Dept. They were ready to cut me open from neck to groin, but CT w/ contrast and an MRI revealed to to be a grapefruit-sized Pseudo-cyst and inflamed Pancreas and Stomach.
No food for 23 days — just ice chips 5x/day — liquid food portal in left neck vein, saline solution portal in right neck vein, 3 antibiotic IVs in the arms, 4 ERCP (Endoscopies) operations under ‘twilight gas”, weight down from 265 to 134 (-131 LBS) and I was an emaciated skeleton on 24th day, for discharge.
I was also to PSU-Hershey Medical Center & Hospital every few months for past 4yrs, and had another 10 ERCPs there, with my new GI Team.
They drained it thru stents in the stomach, and I’ve been OK since. They also found heart disease (5 stents installed), kidney disease and Diabetes 1. After 1.5yrs on insulin, I’m now Type 2 on Metformin and Jardiance. I take 36 pills, split between morning and evening, for all the maladies.
Thankfully, it wasn’t cancer.
I look everyday to see if if there’s any yellowing in my eyes or skin. It’s such a helpless feeling since there’s really no way to detect the cancer.
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