title: A tumour score with multidetector spiral CT for venous infiltration in pancreatic cancer: influence on borderline resectable.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A tumour score for venous invasion in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma was evaluated by means of computed tomography (CT), in order to improve the assessment of medical treatment and clinical outcome with special attention to borderline resectable disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six consecutive patients who underwent curative surgical resection for pancreatic cancer were analysed. On the basis of CT criteria, tumour involvement of the portal vein (PV) and superior mesenteric vein (SMV) was graded according to an adapted 4-point scale: score 1, definite absence of invasion; score 2, probable absence of invasion; score 3, probable presence of invasion; score 4, definite presence of invasion. Correlations between the venous infiltration scores and the patients' clinical features were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After radiological evaluation of PV and SMV grades of infiltration, 21/56 (37 %) and 37/56 (66 %) patients, respectively, were found to have borderline resectable disease. The 4-point scale achieved a sensitivity of 80 %, a specificity of 96 % and an accuracy of 93 % in the evaluation of the PV, and a sensitivity of 100 %, a specificity of 94 % and an accuracy of 95 % in the evaluation of the SMV. Analysis of the distribution of clinical characteristics by PV and SMV infiltration showed that both scores correlated with the presence of distal metastasis (p = 0.016 and p = 0.028, respectively), and resection margins status (p = 0.015 and p = 0.006, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This adapted tumour score is reliable for assessing venous invasion and might improve preoperative staging in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, tizianamarinelli@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marinelli
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filippone
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tavano
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Köninger
authors.forename: Götz M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonomo
authors.forename: Markus W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Büchler
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: di Sebastiano
authors.forename: Francesco F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: di Mola
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008642:Mesenteric Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity