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Hépato-Gastro & Oncologie Digestive

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Strategies for screening for pancreatic adenocarcinoma in high-risk patients Volume 18, issue 4, Juillet-Août 2011

Author
Institut Bergonié, groupe digestif, 229, cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France

Screening high-risk individuals with imaging tests, such endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography, can lead to the detection and treatment of predominantly asymptomatic premalignant lesions. These pancreatic lesions consist of resectable, mostly branch-type non-invasive intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms. Endoscopic ultrasound features of chronic pancreatitis are highly prevalent in high-risk individuals and these directly correlate with multifocal lobulocentric parenchymal atrophy due to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Long-term, multiprospective studies are needed to determine if screening for early pancreatic adenocarcinoma and timely intervention results in decreased pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality in high-risk individuals.