Pancreatic cancer survival rates studied following endosonographic evaluation

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pancreatic cancer, even when diagnosed early, often has a poor prognosis. Signs and symptoms may not appear until the cancer is quite advanced and surgical removal is not possible. Pancreatic cancer, as a result, is a leading cause of death.

However, a small percentage of pancreatic cancers are caught early enough to benefit from a diagnostic procedure that may lead to improved survival rates.

Researchers, in their continuing search for new, improved technologies that could detect pancreatic cancer earlier — and treat it once detected – are studying the effects of Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) in assessing and staging pancreatic cancers.

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) EUS is a nonsurgical assessment of diseases that involves passing a thin, flexible tube (endoscope fitted with a mini-ultrasound device) into the organ to assess the progress of the cancer. By localizing and identifying suspected lesions, more definitive diagnoses are possible. In turn, the more accurate diagnosis can potentially lead to a curative surgery.

Mayo Clinic led a study, Endosonographic Evaluation Improves Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer, to evaluate the association between EUS performance and pancreatic cancer survival. Investigators reviewed the SEER-Medicare database of patients receiving treatment between January 1994 and December 2002. (SEER-Medicare data is a collection of clinical, demographic and cause-of-death information about persons with cancer. The information is used for epidemiological research.)

In the study, the records of 4,236 patients with pancreatic cancer were assessed, and broken into two groups – those who underwent EUS (12 percent of the sample) and those who did not (88 percent).

Researchers found that after they controlled for age, race, gender and comorbidities, those who underwent EUS at the time of diagnosis had a longer average survival time (9 months) than those who did not (5 months).

"Good initial investigation by EUS makes a significant difference for patients with pancreatic cancer," said Ananya Das, MD, Associate Chair of Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Arizona and lead investigator. "Though such diagnostic evaluation not available everywhere, it has shown to be a marker for better care and treatment planning."

The study was presented by Dr. Feng Li, a Gastroenterology Fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona on May 20 at Digestive Disease Week 2008 in San Diego. The conference session was intended to showcase innovative methods to better understand the risk factors for – and improved detection of – pancreatic cancer.

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Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is one of only 39 U.S. medical centers that have been named as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center. To receive this designation, an institution must meet rigorous standards demonstrating scientific excellence and the ability to integrate diverse research approaches to address the problem of cancer. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is the only national, multi-site center with the NCI's Comprehensive Cancer Center designation. In Arizona, Mayo's clinical and research experts work together to address the complex needs of cancer patients, with a dedication to understanding the biology of cancer; discovering new ways to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat cancer; and transforming the quality of life for cancer patients today and in the future.

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