PET-CT monitoring in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a disease characterized by low visualization, high metastasis, and lethality. The average life expectancy for this nosology is less than 1 year. Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is difficult due to the lack of specific symptoms. As a rule, at the time of tumor visualization, every third patient has regional lymph nodes involved in the process, and every second patient already has distant metastases. We present a clinical case of a 73-year-old patient with a diagnosis of: cancer of the pancreatic head St IV, T4N1M1. The woman's primary positron emission tomography (PET-CT) revealed a metabolically active lesion with a size of 26х21х32 mm. After the combined multi-stage therapy under the control of PET-CT, it was possible to achieve complete leveling of the primary tumor focus and a relapse-free course of the disease for 11 months. Our clinical observation showed the effectiveness of dynamic control (using PET-CT) treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer, which influenced the patient's treatment strategy. Conclusion . Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma ECOG ≥ 3, despite the prevalence of the process, should be offered comprehensive treatment.