Pancreatic cancer care: Lighting the way with the torch of staging laparoscopy and advanced imaging

Summary: Background and objective: Despite advances in the multidisciplinary management of pancreatic cancer, the prognosis remains poor due to early disease progression. This review provides an update on the current status of pre-treatment evaluation for pancreatic cancer. Methods: An extensive review of relevant articles on traditional imaging, functional imaging, and minimally invasive surgical procedures was conducted. Prospective observational studies, retrospective analyses, and meta-analyses were included. Key content and findings: Each imaging modality has its own advantages and limitations, with reported sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The increasing role of neoadjuvant therapy and patient-tailored treatment selection based on tumor staging are discussed. Conclusions: A multimodal pre-treatment workup improves staging accuracy and guides treatment selection for pancreatic cancer patients.

Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the value of staging laparoscopy in detecting occult metastases in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. The results showed that staging laparoscopy could detect occult metastases in about 10% of patients, and these patients were more likely to receive palliative systemic chemotherapy.