Despite its rarity, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Approximately 48,960 new cases will arise in 2015 with nearly 83 percent of them resulting in mortalities, according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease can be hard to detect until it has already spread to other organs. However, a new study describes a potential new method for diagnosing pancreatic cancer in its early stages.
MRI increases diagnosis ability
Published in JAMA Surgery, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that MRIs may be an acceptable method for the early detection of pancreatic cancer in those with a family history of the illness. Of the 40 subjects, scientists found lesions in 16 of them using medical imaging – five of them required surgery to remove tumors.
In the publication, the researchers explained that MRIs provided accurate early detection of pancreatic cancer and could be used to replace more invasive procedures, such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The Canadian Cancer Society information reiterated the group's results, as its website stated that MRIs can be used to diagnose and determine treatment plans for cancer.
According to the Karolinska doctors, the sole use of MRIs for early detection of the disease could also reduce costs and increase the availability of digital imaging to patients.
Research faces backlash
Despite the study's positive findings, it has received its share of criticism. Diagnostic imaging can be used in numerous situations, but it cannot determine if detected lesions are cancerous or benign, the CCS explained. While they can show questionable areas, MRIs will not be able to provide more information than tumor location and size. Further testing is required to determine whether a lesion is malignant.
"The concern is that patients may undergo an excessive number of [risky] surgical procedures (pancreatectomy) – for benign lesions," one of the study's critics, Craig Devoe, M.D., acting chief of hematology and oncology at North Shore University Hospital, told HealthDay.
He also cited the limited number of patients and the short length of the study as other concerns. Doctors cannot always detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages, nor can they remove lesions as a guaranteed treatment. The disease has a pattern of metastasizing in its beginning stages and then returning even when original tumors are removed, Devoe explained.
While the study shows promise, indisputable results will require further research on a larger scale.
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Ronny Bachrach
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