MRCP and pancreatic cancer

NEW YORK, July 17 (Praxis Press) Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a promising alternative to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but its accuracy has not been proven in a large controlled study. Adamek and colleagues prospectively compared MRCP and ERCP for the differentiation of pancreatic lesions in 124 patients with suspected pancreatic cancer (see paper). For the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, MRCP had a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 97%, whereas ERCP had a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 94%. MRCP is at least as sensitive as ERCP for the detection of pancreatic cancer and may prevent unnecessary exploratory procedures.