The diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer: A comparison of endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography with pancreas protocol.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in United States. We compared Computed Tomography (CT) with pancreas protocol and Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) in terms of mass detection, mass size, vascular involvement and lymph node involvement.

METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 93 patients. Concordance between CT and EUS, and accuracy of CT and EUS were assessed using a retrospective chart review and statistical analysis.

RESULTS: CT and EUS agreed on mass detection in 88% of the cases and mass size in 67% of the cases. They agreed in 74% of cases about the presence or absence of vascular involvement and 82% in lymph node involvement. Cohen's kappa indicated that the concordance between two tests was moderately reliable.

CONCLUSION: CT and EUS agree moderately well in identifying characteristics of pancreatic masses, but discrepancies between the two modalities are common, particularly with respect to involvement of specific blood vessels and lymph nodes. Clinicians should use caution in relying on a single modality to make decisions.