Abstract Background: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive disease with few treatment options, poor prognosis, and a low 5-year survival rate. Aim: This study aimed to analyze the predictive value of computed tomography (CT) in preoperative assessment and its relationship with histopathological findings among individuals with pancreatic cancer. Settings and Design: A retrospective study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from November 2023 to January 2024, including patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2012 and 2022 who underwent preoperative CT imaging. Patients and Methods: Medical records were reviewed to assess the relationship between CT results, histological features, and surgical outcomes. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The Chi-squared test was applied to qualitative data, while Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for nonparametric quantitative data. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and Spearman’s correlation, with a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Among 51 individuals with pancreatic cancer, 51% were males, and pancreatic head tumors were most common (52.9%). No celiac trunk or superior mesenteric artery invasion was found. Histological analysis revealed ductal adenocarcinoma as the predominant type (82.4%). A significant discrepancy was noted in lymphovascular invasion (LVI) diagnosis between CT (2%) and histopathology (29.4%). Conclusions: While CT plays a crucial role in preoperative assessment, its limitations in detecting LVI highlight the need for improvement. Our findings suggest that enhancing imaging techniques could lead to more accurate preoperative evaluations of pancreatic cancer.
Fadel et al. (Tue,) studied this question.