Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the worst prognosis cancer globally, with just 13% of patients who are diagnosed with PC surviving for 5 years or more after initial diagnosis. In Ireland, there are approximately 900 cases of PC per year, and 820 PC-related deaths. Early detection of PC is the primary concern of most PC research, as it has the potential to make a substantial difference to the treatment and survival of patients.

Survival rates, however, remain poor due to the vague nature of the symptoms associated with early-stage PC, and subsequently the late-stage of the disease at diagnosis. Now researchers from the Maher lab group, School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin are focussing on pancreatic cystic lesions to tackle the crucial issue of identifying patients who are at high-risk of developing pancreatic cancer, to improve survival rates.

Despite similar availability of diagnostic technologies to women of different racial and ethnic groups, significant disparities were seen in who actually received same-day diagnostic services and biopsies after abnormal mammogram findings, new research shows.  Even when breast-care facilities had the necessary technology and capabilities, minority groups were less likely than white women to receive diagnostic imaging on the same day as an abnormal screening result. Black women in particular were less likely to receive same-day biopsies, compared with white women.

The findings of a retrospective study are to be published Feb. 18 in the journal Radiology.  The lead author is Dr. Marissa Lawson, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Christoph Lee, UW professor of radiology, was senior author.

“We’re looking at how the diagnostic workup process might contribute to the population disparities we see with breast-cancer outcomes,” Lawson said. “It was surprising to find similar availability (of technologies) across racial and ethnic groups. But we still saw big differences in who was getting those same-day services.”