Cancer statistics: Current diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer in Shanghai, China

A multi-center population-based study in Shanghai, China was performed to explore the implications for the management of pancreatic cancer by comparing diagnosis and survival rates. Novel imaging modalities including MRI (13.9%), PET/CT (1.8%), and EUS (5.6%) were not widely used in our population. Only 39.7% of cases were histologically verified (surgery with histologic diagnosis 31.0%, cytological diagnosis 8.7%, surgery without histologic diagnosis 12.1%, and clinical diagnosis 48.2%). Overall, 30.0% of patients underwent curative-intent operation, and only 9.8% of patients received comprehensive treatment. The prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients was significantly better for patients who were treated in high-volume centers than in low-volume centers. We propose that more effort should be put on novel diagnostic modalities, histological confirmation, and comprehensive treatment in China. Multidisciplinary teams specialized in pancreatic cancer therapy in high-volume centers are urgently needed.