Assessment of the Prognosis of Pancreatic Cancer Patients Using 3D MRE
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: magnetic resonance imaging.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Pancreatic Cancer. Basic parameters: 18 years — 80 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- China
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
3D-MRE-Based Evaluation of Biomechanical Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Cancer and Its Clinical Prognosis
Overview
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), representing 85-95% of pancreatic cancers, is a highly lethal malignancy with a dismal 5-year survival rate below 8%. Emerging evidence highlights the critical need for non-invasive imaging biomarkers to stratify prognosis and guide therapeutic strategies. Notably, the biomechanical properties of PDAC-associated extracellular matrix (ECM), characterized by extensive interstitial fibrosis, are intrinsically linked to tumorigenesis, progression, and metastatic dissemination. Three-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (3D-MRE), as an advanced imaging modality, enables precise quantification of tissue shear stiffness in both normal pancreatic parenchyma and neoplastic lesions. Significantly, the biomechanical heterogeneity captured by MRE holds untapped potential to serve as a prognostic biomarker for PDAC. Despite its technical merits, no studies to date have systematically explored MRE-derived imaging signatures in predicting PDAC survival outcomes or therapeutic responses, underscoring a pivotal gap in translational oncology research.
Detailed description
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), constituting 85-95% of pancreatic cancers, ranks among the most lethal malignancies globally, with a dismal 5-year survival rate below 8%. Identifying robust prognostic or predictive biomarkers is critical for risk stratification and prospective therapeutic evaluation in clinical trials. The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding PDAC is characterized by extensive interstitial fibrosis, a pathological hallmark intrinsically linked to tumor initiation, progression, and metastatic dissemination. While the ECM exerts dual roles in modulating cancer biology through multifaceted mechanisms, compelling experimental evidence confirms that ECM stiffening in PDAC accelerates tumor aggressiveness and correlates significantly with reduced patient survival. Noninvasive quantification of tumor mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) prior to treatment could provide critical insights into tumor biology, prognostic stratification, and personalized therapeutic decision-making.
Advanced three-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (3D-MRE) enables precise, noninvasive mapping of shear stiffness across both healthy pancreatic tissue and neoplastic lesions. Despite its technical promise, the translational potential of MRE-derived imaging biomarkers for predicting PDAC prognosis remains unexplored, with no systematic studies reported domestically or internationally to date.
Interventions
- Diagnostic test magnetic resonance imaging
all participants undergo novel MR sequences, including 3D MRE#DCE-MRI#IVIM-DWI#T1/T2 mapping.
Primary outcome measures
- Analyzing the measurement accuracy of MRE. [Time frame: 9 months]
- Radiological assessment of tumor stiffness [Time frame: 9 months]
- Evaluation of tumor response to chemotherapy. [Time frame: 12 months]
- Investigating the correlation between magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) shear stiffness and clinical outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients. [Time frame: 9 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- granting of written informed consent
- age ≥18 years
- no history of extrapancreatic malignancy
- no preoperative biliary drainage
- definitive histologic evidence of PDAC in excisional biopsy
- with no less than three months of postoperative mortality or six months of follow- up
Exclusion criteria
- inability to re-review of tissue specimens
- unacceptable estimates of MRE parameters, specifically invalid wave data during postprocessing, inconsistent breath-holdings, intolerable pain, and MRE hardware disconnection
- tumor diameters <1.0 cm
- withdrawal/dropout during follow-up
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
China · 1 center
- Shengjing hospital of China medical university — Shenyang
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06849063 · ShengjingH-chem-PDAC