©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2018; 24(19): 2047-2060
Published online May 21, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i19.2047
Published online May 21, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i19.2047
Challenges in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
Lulu Zhang, Santosh Sanagapalli, Alina Stoita, Department of Gastroenterology, St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Darlinghurst 2010, NSW, Australia
Author contributions: Zhang L made substantial contribution to the collection and analysis of the data and drafted the initial manuscript; Sanagapalli S and Stoita A made substantial contributions to the analysis and interpretation of the data and Stoita A edited, made substantial contribution in writing and revised the final manuscript; all authors have given their final approval of the version published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Correspondence to: Alina Stoita, MBBS, FRACP, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst 2010, NSW, Australia. astoita@stvincents.com.au
Telephone: +61-283826622 Fax: +61-83826602
Received: March 28, 2018
Peer-review started: March 30, 2018
First decision: April 11, 2018
Revised: April 28, 2018
Accepted: May 11, 2018
Article in press: May 11, 2018
Published online: May 21, 2018
Processing time: 50 Days and 14.9 Hours
Peer-review started: March 30, 2018
First decision: April 11, 2018
Revised: April 28, 2018
Accepted: May 11, 2018
Article in press: May 11, 2018
Published online: May 21, 2018
Processing time: 50 Days and 14.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Pancreatic cancer is becoming a leading cause of cancer related death in Western societies. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of a pancreatic mass is crucial for improving outcomes. Current practice utilises multi-detector computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging, with a dedicated pancreas protocol as the initial modality. Endoscopic ultrasound is the preferred method to further evaluate pancreatic masses as it has more superior diagnostic accuracy and can provide tissue acquisition. Pitfalls in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer are discussed, as careful recognition of these conditions is important. There are exciting developments of new diagnostic techniques that open the possibility of personalised cancer medicine.