Published in:
01-02-2018
Extrapancreatic perineural invasion in pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors:
Bhavik N. Patel, Eric Olcott, R. Brooke Jeffrey
Published in:
Abdominal Radiology
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Issue 2/2018
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Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma continues to be a highly lethal disease, despite advances in modern medicine. Curative surgical options continue to carry significant morbidity and offer little improvement in overall 5-year survival. Currently, imaging plays an essential role in the pre-operative evaluation of patients who are undergoing evaluation for resection. However, some pancreatic cancers have particularly aggressive biology, despite appearing resectable by conventional imaging criteria. Imaging biomarkers that serve as surrogates for tumors with such aggressive phenotype have been recently described, namely duodenal invasion and extrapancreatic perineural invasion. In this pictorial review, we will summarize key concepts of extrapancreatic perineural invasion, describe its association with a poor prognosis, and highlight the role of imaging in its detection.