The Role of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) for Staging and Disease Response Assessment in Localized and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Simple Summary Pancreatic cancer (PC) has a severe prognosis and even after radical surgery, relapse rate is very high (70-80%). The impact of PET/CT in PC clinical management has been increasingly investigated in the last decades. As regards localized and potentially resectable disease, the role of PET/CT is still controversial and international guidelines do not recommend its routine use. Despite this, PET may play a role in assessing PC stage and grade and potential resectability after neoadjuvant treatment. Aim of this review is to discuss the current use for staging and disease response assessment and future developments of PET/CT in resectable PC. Pancreatic Cancer (PC) has a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of only 9%. Even after radical surgical procedures, PC patients have poor survival rates, with a high chance of relapse (70-80%). Imaging is involved in all aspects of the clinical management of PC, including detection and characterization of primary tumors and their resectability, assessment of vascular, perineural and lymphatic invasion and detection of distant metastases. The role of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) in detecting PC is still controversial, with the international guidelines not recommending its routine use. However, in resectable PC, PET/CT may play a role in assessing PC stage and grade and potential resectability after neoadjuvant treatment. Quantitative image analysis (radiomics) and new PET/CT radiotracers account for future developments in metabolic imaging and may further improve the relevance of this technique in several aspects of PC. In the present review, the current state of the art and future directions of PET/CT in resectable PC are presented.

Automated summary

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) has a poor prognosis with a low survival rate even after radical surgery, and the role of PET/CT in detecting PC remains controversial. However, PET/CT may play a role in assessing disease stage and potential resectability in resectable PC cases. Future developments in radiomics and new PET/CT radiotracers may further enhance the relevance of this imaging technique in pancreatic cancer management.