It is difficult to diagnose pancreatic cancer early on, and the disease, if diagnosed, is marked by a low surgical resection rate and a high mortality rate, which makes it one of the deadliest types of cancer. PUMCH put forward and established the first green passage for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer in China. The consultation for complex and difficult pancreatic diseases plays the main role, complemented by multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment, thus greatly shortening the diagnosis and treatment time and giving a new life to more pancreatic cancer patients.

The multidisciplinary team (MDT) significantly improves the efficiency of diagnosing and treating complex and difficult diseases. Informed by thorough communication and discussions, specialists in the team can give patients a comprehensive evaluation and an individualized diagnosis and treatment plan at one time. Take a “pancreatic mass” as an example. If the consultation concludes that it is a  malignant tumor which can be resected, the Department of General Surgery will arrange for the operation as soon as possible. If the malignant tumor cannot be surgically removed, the Department of Oncology or the Department of Radiotherapy will give radiotherapy and chemotherapy and pain relief treatment depending on the biopsy pathological report. If the consultation concludes that the tumor is benign, medical treatment and regular follow-up will ensue. If it is difficult to determine the nature through one consultation, a follow-up visit will be scheduled for the patient after more imaging data becomes available.

In 2014, the pancreatic cancer MDT was included in the guidelines in China, from which then formed the “Consensus of Chinese Experts on Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer”. As early as the 1990s, Academician Zhao Yupei put forward the concept of “green passage” of multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. In 2010, PUMCH officially inaugurated an outpatient consultation center for complex and difficult diseases, and the pancreatic specialty group took the lead. As of April 2022, the specialty group had completed 498 consultations on complex and difficult pancreatic diseases and received nearly 5,000 patients.

The team led by Academician Zhao Yupei (second from right) and multidisciplinary specialists were reading and discussing the images

Reporter: Gan Dingzhu

Picture courtesy: Sun Liang

Translator: Liu Haiyan

Editor: Wang Yao