Pancreatic Cancer Surveillance Among High‐Risk Populations: Knowledge and Intent

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cancer in both men and women in the United States. It has the lowest survival rate of all cancers, largely due to the presence of non-specific symptoms, leading to diagnosis at advanced stages. While the majority of cases of pancreatic cancer are sporadic, up to 10% may be associated with an inherited predisposition. Currently, there is no standard screening protocol for pancreatic cancer, although this will change in the future as technology improves. Additionally, there is little information regarding the perceptions and intent to screen for pancreatic cancer among those with an increased risk due to a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome, which was the objective of this study. Focus groups and individual telephone interviews were conducted, with questions focused on knowledge about pancreatic cancer and screening, perceived motivators, and perceived barriers related to each of the screening techniques currently available. Participants were recruited from the High Risk Breast Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer Registries at Huntsman Cancer Institute. The findings of this study indicated that individuals from these high-risk groups have low knowledge levels of pancreatic cancer screening, despite their desire for this information. Motivation to undergo a particular screening technique is related to whether the test is recommended by a physician, cost, degree of invasiveness, and comfort level. This information is useful to genetics professionals who counsel at-risk individuals, physicians who formulate patient care plans, and translational researchers who are developing pancreatic screening methods.

Factors influencing receptivity to future screening options for pancreatic cancer in those with and without pancreatic cancer family history

“…Comprehensive efforts are underway to better understand the etiology of PC, to improve treatment outcomes, and to develop and evaluate effective screening technologies [8,33]. Receptivity toward potential future screening options for pancreatic cancer among those at significant risk is an important, yet understudied area.…”

Advances in Hereditary Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancers

“…Additional studies have been performed to evaluate the overall experience reported by individuals living with the knowledge that they are at increased risk of pancreatic cancer, 106,111 their knowledge of pancreatic cancer screening, 112 and their receptivity 113 or intent to engage in pancreatic cancer screening. Two qualitative studies focusing on patient experiences with pancreatic cancer risk 111 and understanding of and intent to engage in pancreatic cancer screening 112 found the family experience was an important factor in how someone viewed their own risk for pancreatic cancer and became motivated to engage in invasive screening.…”

“…Two qualitative studies focusing on patient experiences with pancreatic cancer risk 111 and understanding of and intent to engage in pancreatic cancer screening 112 found the family experience was an important factor in how someone viewed their own risk for pancreatic cancer and became motivated to engage in invasive screening. Pancreatic cancer was considered a fatal disease 112 and therefore screening was viewed as a potential way to catch cancer early. 111 Participants had limited knowledge about the pancreas, pancreatic cancer, and screening, 112 and overall felt there was a lack of patient centered resources.…”

“…Pancreatic cancer was considered a fatal disease 112 and therefore screening was viewed as a potential way to catch cancer early. 111 Participants had limited knowledge about the pancreas, pancreatic cancer, and screening, 112 and overall felt there was a lack of patient centered resources. 111 More work is needed to understand why a small subset of individuals do have clinically meaningful distress, the impact of having abnormal surveillance results, and how to best intervene to support patients engaging in this process of risk assessment and screening.…”

Endoscopic ultrasonography for surveillance of individuals at high risk for pancreatic cancer

“…Beside them, also members of a family with a strong history of disease or individuals with inherited pancreatic cancer syndromes, carrying a known genetic mutation, should be considered at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer (high risk individuals, HRIs) [21][22][23][24][25] . Screening of these high-risk groups seems to be of benefit since genetic susceptibility and familial aggregation are responsible of 3%-16% of pancreatic cancers [26][27][28] .…”