Abstract
Abstract Background In line with the NCRI framework, appropriate staging and classification of pancreatic cancer, with particular relevance to vascular involvement, is essential to ensure patients are offered all potential treatment options both at diagnosis and post-neoadjuvant therapy. This pan-specialty national collaborative consensus project, supported by PCUK,AUGIS,PSGBI,RCSEng,NCRI,RCR and BSGAR, aimed to develop a succinct radiological reporting template to allow a more consistent and standardized means of detailing all clinically-relevant aspects of pancreatic cancer, which, in addition to the aforementioned benefits, will allow more efficient MDT review, improved ability to audit national practice, and optimized clinical trial design. Methods In stage one, a core group of stakeholders from surgery, radiology and oncology was formed to establish current practice and determine the optimal data-set for a template. This included a blinded radiological validation study of established templates in use (Beth-Israel, PROTRACT and Glasgow proformas), and national survey of consultant surgeons on the PSGBI mailing list. Thereafter, consensus meetings led to the development of a provisional template. In stage two, representatives from surgery, radiology and oncology at all UK HPB units attended a consensus meeting to discuss and finalise the first official template draft, with subsequent trial utilisation in clinical practice. Results In stage one, the radiological assessment highlighted a significant variation in reporting of vascular involvement, with 100% concordance in only 30% of cases. Within the surgeon survey, amongst various tumour-related factors, most notably a significant majority preferred a specific range of degrees of vascular involvement, and specific information regarding tributary involvement and associated narrowing/occlusion/thrombosis. Both processes, and subsequent national consensus meetings in stage two, helped establish the ideal factors required in a template with respect to usability, clinical relevance, applicability and IT-factors, resulting in the generation of the PACT-UK proforma that will be presented at the congress. Conclusions This pan-specialty collaborative consensus project has successfully produced the first nationally-developed pancreatic cancer radiological reporting template. In stage three, the PACT-UK group aim to continue trialing the proforma nationally, with upcoming workshops facilitated by RCR/BSGAR to ensure buy-in from radiologists at all HPB units. Further representation from all units is welcomed, with the philosophy that template data-points can and will continue to evolve on the basis of ongoing feedback from consensus meetings, and following the development of more aggressive surgical techniques and novel neoadjuvant therapies. Plans for the use of PACT-UK within national audit and clinical trials is under-way.
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