Identifying the most commonly used guidelines/recommendations that clinicians use to classify pancreatic cancer patients

Pancreatic cancer is a high mortality cancer which progresses quickly following diagnosis. The average median survival from diagnosis ranges from approximately 6 months for metastatic pancreatic cancer to16 months for non-metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients with non-metastatic disease are classified according to whether their tumours can be removed by surgery (resectability status) as either (i) resectable upfront, (ii) locally advanced and unresectable or (iii) borderline resectable. This classification is based on radiology reports. Appropriate management decisions and potentially improved overall survival rely heavily on this classification. As such, the use of a single definition is an important means of reducing variability in management. This study aims to identify which of the existing guidelines and recommendations are used by radiologists when reporting CT scans of patients with suspected pancreatic cancer. The results of this project will demonstrate the pros and cons of the various systems published and how this inconsistency has the ability to influence management decisions.