Integrating Conventional Imaging and Novel Techniques: A Framework for the Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

One of the leading causes of death in pancreatic cancer is the late detection. Various imaging or screening techniques available today are not optimal for diagnosing PDAC cancer at an early stage. Earlier detection of pancreatic cancer would allow more patients to be eligible for surgery and get their tumors removed, which could lead to a dramatic improvement in the survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients. This paper is an analysis of available diagnostic techniques for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with the aim to further explore potential new or combination techniques for earlier diagnosis or prognosis of PDAC. The paper explores the most common imaging techniques, such as Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Ultrasound (US), before diving deeper into the US, its sub-type Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and its variations, by reviewing their sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, [13] when applied to PDAC. While EUS broadly happens to be the most favored type of imaging techniques today due to its high sensitivity; none of the EUS sub-types individually are optimal on all three test characteristics (sensitivity, accuracy, and specificity), so the paper proposes a combination approach to EUS along with other diagnostic techniques including modern imaging, and non-imaging techniques, and artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to identify a combination diagnosis technology that can optimally identify PDAC at an early stage in a cost effective, and easy to deploy fashion.