Prevalence of pancreatic cystic lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging in the Chinese population

Abstract

Background and Aim Incidental pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are being diagnosed more frequently. However, little is known about the prevalence of PCLs in the Chinese population. The aim of the study was to assess the crude prevalence of PCLs in individuals who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Data from consecutive patients who underwent MRI without pancreatic indications were included. MRI images were reviewed for the presence of pancreatic cysts. The prevalence of PCLs and high‐risk PCLs in different gender and age groups was calculated. To assess the crude prevalence, the prevalence and demographic data were standardized on the basis of Chinese national population data in 2017. Results A total of 10 987 individuals were included (7344 men). Incidental PCLs were identified in 212 individual (128 men). The prevalence of PCLs was 1.93%, and PCLs were more often discovered in women (1.74% vs 2.31%, P = 0.043). Prevalence increased with age (r = 0.804, P < 0.001). The prevalence of high‐risk PCLs was 0.12% (n = 13). Gender predominance and age distribution showed no difference between high‐risk PCLs and low‐risk PCLs (P = 0.234 and P = 0.855), but cysts located in the pancreatic head were more likely to develop into high‐risk PCLs (P = 0.001). After data standardization, the crude prevalence of PCLs was 1.31%, and PCLs were more often discovered in women (1.11% vs 1.5%, P < 0.001). The crude prevalence of high‐risk PCLs was 0.07%. Conclusion Pancreatic cystic lesions in the Chinese population are not rare. The prevalence of PCLs increased with age and is higher in the female population. The prevalence of high‐risk PCLs should not be ignored.

Progression of pancreatic cystic lesions without any risk features is associated with initial cyst size and obesity

“…A recent meta‐analysis reported that the pooled prevalence of incidental PCLs was 8% and four times higher in studies conducted in the USA than in Asia . The prevalence of PCLs in our study group was 1.0%, which is lower than that reported in previous studies (1.9–2.1%) . First, small cysts that were not detected in the past may be underestimated as the keyword search was performed using a computerized system.…”

“…Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are important incidental findings in a diverse range of disease entities of both indolent and malignant evolution, depending on their subtypes . PCLs are detected in 1.9–2.1% of the patients on computed tomography (CT) and in 13.5–49.1% of the patients on magnetic resonance imaging, with the incidence increasing with age . Although various investigations into the progression rate and malignancy risk of PCLs have been previously reported, most studies only focused on definite or presumed branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs).…”

Pancreatic cystic lesions in diabetes mellitus patients

“…Referring to the results obtained in our study, the incidence of cystic lesions in the examined population was significantly higher in patients over 50 years old. This observation is consistent with a study, published in 2019, on a large population (10 987) of patients who underwent magnetic resonanace imaging (MRI) for reasons other than pancreatic disease [21]. In this research, similarly to ours, a strong relationship between the incidence of cystic lesions in the pancreas and the age of patients was observed.…”

Validation of European evidence‐based guidelines and American College of Gastroenterology guidelines as predictors of advanced neoplasia in patients with suspected mucinous pancreatic cystic neoplasms

“…Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are being detected more frequently because of the advancements in radiological technologies. Their prevalence ranges from 1.9% to 49.1% in different races . Surgical resection of PCLs with invasive carcinoma (IC) and high‐grade dysplasia (HGD) is generally the accepted treatment method .…”