Diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer by endoscopic ultrasound

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of and problems associated with endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the diagnosis and pre-operative staging of pancreatic cancer. 96 patients suspected of having pancreatic cancer were pre-operatively examined with EUS. 37 of these 96 patients had pancreatic cancer. Results of the EUS imaging were compared with findings of histology and/or surgery, and the patient's clinical course. The sensitivity and specificity of EUS for diagnosing pancreatic cancer were 89% and 97%, respectively. EUS had excellent sensitivity regardless of tumour size or location. EUS was accurate (90%) in determining tumour size in pancreatic cancers less than 3 cm in maximum diameter, but not for tumours greater than 3 cm (30%). The accuracy of tumour (T) and nodal (N) staging were 64% and 50%, respectively. EUS is a promising method for the early diagnosis and pre-operative staging of pancreatic cancers, but requires further refinement.