Role of US and EUS in early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Abdominal ultrasonography (US) is a minimally invasive screening test for initial examination and is important as a screening test in voluntary screening, such as cancer screening and physical examinations. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is recommended as a screening test in the Clinical Practice Guidelines for pancreatic cancer, as it is an important modality in the collaboration between pathological diagnosis and the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. EUS is particularly recommended when indirect findings such as pancreatic cysts, main pancreatic duct stenosis/dilatation and pancreatic parenchymal atrophy are observed on other imaging studies. Recent technological innovations have allowed for contrast-enhanced assessment of blood flow, improving the quality of the diagnosis. In endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration/biopsy (EUS-FNA/FNB), the accuracy of tissue diagnosis has improved with the development of puncture needles and tissue sampling techniques. On the other hand, EUS-FNA/FNB for small lesions with a tumour diameter of less than 10mm has the problem of possible false-negative results. In addition, needle tract seeding (NTS) after EUS-FNA/FNB has attracted drawn attention as a possible adverse event, and it is important to consider the occurrence of NTS during transgastric EUS-FNA/FNB and follow-up.