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 ...
Sorry, wrong cancer.
Sorry, wrong cancer.
I admire your tenacity.
Not sleeping! As told to me by a Stanford trained nuke reader, the MD is pressured to only take x minutes to study the MRI. But a proper read requires integrating data from the chart with looking at the image. Thought takes time. Speed it up, docs, or the pressure from above will wear you down. In my town, there’s a separate imaging facility whose readers do take the time. But at our top hospital where this doc eventually left, things will be missed.
The PSA is just that: prostate specific.
To date there is no detection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the toughest of the bunch.
Thank you, kindly. Hasn’t been easy, but I’m still chugging along.
You had an amazing recovery.
Please keep up the good work.
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