Pancreatic cancer, arguably made infamous by Steve Jobs' battle with it, is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in Western countries. And, according to a new study that recommends MRI screening to catch it early, the incidence and mortality rates of this deadly disease are almost one and the same.
The study, entitled Short-Term Results of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Swedish Screening Program for Individuals at Risk for Pancreatic Cancer was published this month in JAMA Surgery.
The researchers used MR imaging to follow the cases of 40 participants--16 men and 24 women aged approximately 50 years--with increased risk of pancreatic cancer due to family history and/or genetic mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Each patient was scanned initially, then scanned again at a follow-up appointment roughly a year later. The researchers found pancreatic cancers in 40 per cent of the group--in 16 of the 40 participants. Five patients required surgery, and the remaining participants remain under observation.
Say the researchers in their conclusion: "Although the study time was relatively short, the surveillance program in individuals at risk seems to be effective."