Comparison of the incidence of pancreatic abnormalities between high risk and control patients: Prospective pilot study with 3 tesla MR imaging

Purpose: To compare the incidence of pancreatic abnormalities detected by MR imaging between high‐risk patients and control patients. Materials and Methods: Forty‐one consecutive patients who had two or more first‐degree relatives with pancreatic cancer and who were asymptomatic with no clinical evidence of pancreatic cancer were prospectively included in this study. A control group was obtained by reviewing consecutive patients undergoing 3Tesla (T) MRI examinations for nonpancreatic indications. On MR imaging, the presence of pancreatic abnormalities were evaluated in consensus by two radiologists who were blinded to clinical history. Pancreatic abnormalities were categorized as developmental abnormalities, mass‐type lesions, inflammatory disease, and others. Results: Overall, the incidence of pancreatic abnormalities was greater in the high‐risk group than in the control group, but not statistically significant (P = 0.244). In the high‐risk group, a total of 16 patients (39%) were diagnosed with pancreatic abnormalities, whereas in the control group, 11 patients (25%) were diagnosed with pancreatic abnormalities. Regarding mass‐type lesions, there was a significant difference in incidence between the high‐risk group, with a total of seven patients (17%), and the control group, with one patient (2%) (P = 0.028). There were no cases of imaging diagnosis of pancreatic cancer or tissue evaluation by surgical pathology in either group. Conclusion: Our prospective pilot study demonstrated a higher incidence of mass‐type lesions in patients at increased risk for pancreatic cancer. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;33:1080–1085. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.