Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jan;54(1):19-32.
doi: 10.1007/s00535-018-1519-2. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

Impact of endoscopic ultrasonography on diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Masayuki Kitano  1   2 , Takeichi Yoshida  3   4 , Masahiro Itonaga  3   4 , Takashi Tamura  3   4 , Keiichi Hatamaru  3   4 , Yasunobu Yamashita  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Impact of endoscopic ultrasonography on diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Masayuki Kitano et al. J Gastroenterol. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Accumulated evidence has revealed that endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has had a great impact on the clinical evaluation of pancreatic cancers. EUS can provide high-resolution images of the pancreas with a quality regarded as far surpassing that achieved on transabdominal ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). EUS is particularly useful for the detection of small pancreatic lesions, while EUS and its related techniques such as contrast-enhanced EUS (CE-EUS), EUS elastography, and EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) are also useful in the differential diagnosis of solid or cystic pancreatic lesions and the staging (T-staging, N-staging, and M-staging) of pancreatic cancers. In the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions, CE-EUS and EUS elastography play a complementary role to conventional EUS. When sampling is performed using EUS-FNA, CE-EUS and EUS elastography provide information on the target lesions. Thus, conventional EUS, CE-EUS, EUS elastography, and EUS-FNA are essential in the clinical investigation of pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography; Endoscopic ultrasonography; Pancreatic cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A case of small ductal carcinoma (8 mm, pancreatic body). Pancreatic mass was not detected by enhanced contrast MDCT (a), whereas detected clearly by endoscopic ultrasound (b, arrowheads)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a A typical example of a solid lesion with hypoenhancement (a ductal carcinoma of 10 mm). Conventional EUS shows a hypoechoic area (arrowheads) at the pancreas body (left). Contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CH-EUS) indicates that the area is hypovascular (arrowheads) compared with the surrounding tissue (right). b A typical example of a solid lesion with isoenhancement (Autoimmune pancreatitis). Conventional EUS shows a hypoechoic area (arrowheads) at the pancreas head (left). CH-EUS indicates enhancement in this area similar to the surrounding tissue (arrowheads) (right). c A typical example of a solid lesion with hyperenhancement (a neuroendocrine tumor of 8 mm). Conventional EUS shows a hypoechoic mass (arrowheads) at the pancreas head (left). CH-EUS indicates that enhancement in the mass is higher than in the surrounding tissue (arrowheads) (right)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a A case of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) with mucous clot. Conventional EUS shows echogenic mural lesions (arrowheads) in a cyst cavity (left). Contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CH-EUS) shows no vascularity in the mural lesion (arrowheads) (right). b A case of IPMN with mural nodule. Conventional EUS shows echogenic mural lesions (arrowheads) in a cyst cavity (left). CH-EUS shows vascularity in the mural lesion (arrowheads) (right)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. The Editorial Board of the Cancer Statistics in Japan. Cancer Registry and Statistics. Cancer Information Service NCCJ (2018) Cancer Statics in Japan 2017. Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research (FPCR). https://ganjoho.jp/en/professional/statistics/brochure/2017_en.html?.
    1. Noone AM, Howlader N, Krapcho M, Miller D, Brest A, Yu M, Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z, Mariotto A, Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA (eds). SEER cancer statistics review, 1975–2015. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. Based on November 2017 SEER data. 2018. https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2015/.
    1. Kato T, Tsukamoto Y, Naitoh Y, et al. Ultrasonographic and endoscopic ultrasonographic angiography in pancreatic mass lesions. Acta Radiol. 1995;36:381–387. - PubMed
    1. Dietrich CF, Ignee A, Frey H. Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound with low mechanical index: a new technique. Z Gastroenterol. 2005;43:1219–1223. - PubMed
    1. Quaia E. Classification and safety of microbubble-based contrast agents. In: Quaia E, editor. Contrast media ultrason. New York: Springer; 2005. pp. 3–14.

MeSH terms