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Pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs on multiphasic multidetector CT: association with clinical and histopathologic features

  • Gastrointestinal
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Abstract

Purpose

To determine the clinical, histopathologic and imaging features of pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs on dynamic CT.

Materials and Methods

Seventy patients (mean age 70 years) with histologically proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma underwent preoperative contrast material-enhanced multiphasic multidetector CT before pancreatic resection. In each patient, clinical data including carbohydrate antigen 19–9, frequency of isoattenuating tumours, and presence of secondary signs and histopathologic findings such as tumour location, tumour stage, and microscopic infiltrative growth grade were evaluated.

Results

Ten tumours (14 %) were without secondary signs, and 60 (86 %) were with secondary signs. Tumours without and with secondary signs were located in the uncinate process in 5 (50 %) and 3 (5 %), head in 3 (30 %) and 29 (48 %), body in 2 (20 %) and 22 (37 %), and tail in 0 (0 %) and 6 (10 %), respectively (p = .001). The frequency of isoattenuating pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs was significantly higher than those with secondary signs (p = 0.034). The tumour stage of pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs was earlier than that in tumours with secondary signs (p = 0.041).

Conclusions

Pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs is characterized by the presence of uncinate and isoattenuating tumours and earlier tumour stage compared to tumours with secondary signs.

Key Points

• Frequency of pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs on multiphasic CT is 14 %.

• Pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs are common in the uncinate process.

• Pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs are common in isoattenuating tumours.

• Pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs are characterized by earlier-stage tumours.

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Abbreviations

P:

Perineural invasion

INF:

Microscopic infiltrative growth grade

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Katsuyoshi Ito. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. The authors state that this work has not received any funding. Teruki Sone kindly provided statistical advice for this manuscript. One of the authors has significant statistical expertise. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was waived by the institutional review board. No study subjects or cohorts have been previously reported. Methodology: retrospective, diagnostic or prognostic study, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Radiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki City, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan

    Tsutomu Tamada, Katsuyoshi Ito, Teruki Sone, Akihiko Kanki, Atsushi Higaki, Minoru Hayashida & Akira Yamamoto

  2. Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki City, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan

    Naoki Kanomata

Authors
  1. Tsutomu Tamada
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  2. Katsuyoshi Ito
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  3. Naoki Kanomata
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  4. Teruki Sone
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  5. Akihiko Kanki
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  6. Atsushi Higaki
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  7. Minoru Hayashida
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  8. Akira Yamamoto
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Correspondence to Tsutomu Tamada.

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Tamada, T., Ito, K., Kanomata, N. et al. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas without secondary signs on multiphasic multidetector CT: association with clinical and histopathologic features. Eur Radiol 26, 646–655 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-3880-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-3880-3

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