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Assessment of the Prognosis of Pancreatic Cancer Patients Using 3D MRE


2020-10-09


2025-12-01


2026-12-01


200

Study Overview

Assessment of the Prognosis of Pancreatic Cancer Patients Using 3D MRE

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), representing 85-95% of pancreatic cancers, is a highly lethal malignancy with a dismal 5-year survival rate below 8%. Emerging evidence highlights the critical need for non-invasive imaging biomarkers to stratify prognosis and guide therapeutic strategies. Notably, the biomechanical properties of PDAC-associated extracellular matrix (ECM), characterized by extensive interstitial fibrosis, are intrinsically linked to tumorigenesis, progression, and metastatic dissemination. Three-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (3D-MRE), as an advanced imaging modality, enables precise quantification of tissue shear stiffness in both normal pancreatic parenchyma and neoplastic lesions. Significantly, the biomechanical heterogeneity captured by MRE holds untapped potential to serve as a prognostic biomarker for PDAC. Despite its technical merits, no studies to date have systematically explored MRE-derived imaging signatures in predicting PDAC survival outcomes or therapeutic responses, underscoring a pivotal gap in translational oncology research.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), constituting 85-95% of pancreatic cancers, ranks among the most lethal malignancies globally, with a dismal 5-year survival rate below 8%. Identifying robust prognostic or predictive biomarkers is critical for risk stratification and prospective therapeutic evaluation in clinical trials. The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding PDAC is characterized by extensive interstitial fibrosis, a pathological hallmark intrinsically linked to tumor initiation, progression, and metastatic dissemination. While the ECM exerts dual roles in modulating cancer biology through multifaceted mechanisms, compelling experimental evidence confirms that ECM stiffening in PDAC accelerates tumor aggressiveness and correlates significantly with reduced patient survival. Noninvasive quantification of tumor mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) prior to treatment could provide critical insights into tumor biology, prognostic stratification, and personalized therapeutic decision-making. Advanced three-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (3D-MRE) enables precise, noninvasive mapping of shear stiffness across both healthy pancreatic tissue and neoplastic lesions. Despite its technical promise, the translational potential of MRE-derived imaging biomarkers for predicting PDAC prognosis remains unexplored, with no systematic studies reported domestically or internationally to date.

  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • DIAGNOSTIC_TEST: magnetic resonance imaging
  • ShengjingH-chem-PDAC

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates Results Reporting Dates Study Record Updates

2025-02-23  

N/A  

2025-02-23  

2025-02-23  

N/A  

2025-02-27  

2025-02-27  

N/A  

2025-02  

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

Design Details

Primary Purpose:
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Allocation:
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Interventional Model:
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Masking:
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Arms and Interventions

Participant Group/ArmIntervention/Treatment
: patients with resectable pancreatic cancer

Investigators anticipate that 150 resectable pancreatic cancer participants are enrolled in this group and all participants undego magnetic resonance imaging

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST: magnetic resonance imaging

  • all participants undergo novel MR sequences, including 3D MRE#DCE-MRI#IVIM-DWI#T1/T2 mapping.
: patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer

Investigators anticipate that 50 unresectable pancreatic cancer participants are enrolled in this group and all participants undego magnetic resonance imagin.

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST: magnetic resonance imaging

  • all participants undergo novel MR sequences, including 3D MRE#DCE-MRI#IVIM-DWI#T1/T2 mapping.
Primary Outcome MeasuresMeasure DescriptionTime Frame
Analyzing the measurement accuracy of MRE.The hardness was measured by a hardness tester during the operation, and the mechanical parameters were measured by atomic force microscopy of the in vitro specimen. The measurement accuracy of MRE was analyzed by comparing the hardness tester and atomic force microscope results.9 months
Radiological assessment of tumor stiffnessA self-written script program in MATLAB is used to read and analyze mechanical group diagrams and waveform diagrams in three directions of x, y, and z, and a region of interest (ROI) delineation function is embedded. After drawing the ROI, an Excel file containing the corresponding values is automatically generated, and the average values of various mechanical parameters are calculated, including shear modulus (|G*|, SS), storage modulus (G', SM), loss modulus (G'', LM) and damping ratio (#, DR).9 months
Evaluation of tumor response to chemotherapy.RECIST criteria (version 1.1) were used to objectively evaluate the response to chemotherapy.12 months
Investigating the correlation between magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) shear stiffness and clinical outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients.Optimize longitudinal follow-up for pancreatic cancer patient subgroups. Utilizing shear stiffness measurements from magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and clinical outcomes among distinct patient groups, generate Kaplan-Meier survival curves to determine the clinical utility of biomechanical characterization in prognosticating pancreatic cancer. Statistical analyses were conducted with R and GraphPad Prism.9 months
Secondary Outcome MeasuresMeasure DescriptionTime Frame

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Name: Yu Shi, MD.PhD.

Phone Number: 18940259980

Email: 18940259980@163.com

Study Contact Backup

Name: Yang Hong, MD.PhD.

Phone Number: 18940259080

Email: hongyangcmu@hotmail.com

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person’s general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:
ALL

Sexes Eligible for Study:
18 Years

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

    Inclusion Criteria:
    1. granting of written informed consent 2. age ≥18 years 3. no history of extrapancreatic malignancy 4. no preoperative biliary drainage 5. definitive histologic evidence of PDAC in excisional biopsy 6. with no less than three months of postoperative mortality or six months of follow- up
    Exclusion Criteria:
    1. inability to re-review of tissue specimens 2. unacceptable estimates of MRE parameters, specifically invalid wave data during postprocessing, inconsistent breath-holdings, intolerable pain, and MRE hardware disconnection 3. tumor diameters <1.0 cm 4. withdrawal/dropout during follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.


    • PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR: Yu Shi, MD.PhD., Study Principal Investigator

    Publications

    The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

    General Publications

    No publications available