[Medical Q&A] Is ultrasound examination suitable for patients with early pancreatic cancer?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Wang Yandong, Chief Physician, Tianjin University Central Hospital

Ultrasound examination is a commonly used medical imaging technology in clinical practice. It generates images of internal organs and tissues of the human body by emitting ultrasonic waves through a probe and receiving the reflected signals. It has been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, but it still has certain limitations in the diagnosis of early pancreatic cancer.

From the anatomical point of view, the pancreas is located behind the peritoneum and is "hidden" very deeply, which makes it difficult for conventional abdominal ultrasound to clearly display the whole picture of the pancreas. In addition, the pancreas is easily blocked by organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, especially in patients with a fat body or more gastrointestinal gas, which interferes with the conduction of ultrasound to a certain extent, thereby affecting the imaging of ultrasound images. In addition, early pancreatic cancer usually manifests as a small mass, which is difficult to be accurately identified by conventional ultrasound, and its effect is not as good as other imaging methods, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although ultrasound examination has limited diagnostic value for early pancreatic cancer, when the tumor grows to a certain size, ultrasound examination shows its advantages of high efficiency and convenience. At this time, puncture can be performed under ultrasound guidance to obtain pathological tissue for cytological diagnosis and genetic testing. Of course, in the efficacy evaluation and follow-up of pancreatic cancer patients, ultrasound examination can still be used to monitor disease recurrence or treatment effect.