This study evaluated the relationship between pancreatic cysts and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), comparing imaging features of the cysts in subjects who subsequently developed PDAC versus those who did not.
The researchers looked at 85 subjects with PDAC diagnoses and compared them with a control group (n = 77) that included subjects with lung cancer. The most recent abdominal CT or MR scans more than six months before cancer diagnosis were reviewed by radiologists blinded to the patient's current status.
The observers noted the size and number of cysts and the presence of main pancreatic duct dilatation in both groups. The group analyzed outcomes -- either PDAC or no. Pancreatic cysts were present in almost 30% of the cases, compared with 5% of the controls.
"Patients with pancreatic cysts are at higher risk of developing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, particularly if the cysts are larger and multiple," Dr. Viktoriya Paroder, PhD, from Montefiore Medical Center, told AuntMinnie.com.
