3D-PANC study protocol: Is three-dimensional imaging technology superior to computed tomography for assessing the response to neoadjuvant treatment in patients with borderline or locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma?

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery represents the treatment of choice for patients with borderline and locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC). Despite being the diagnostic technique of choice for PAC staging, computed tomography (CT) has very low accuracy in identifying patients who may benefit from surgical resection after neoadjuvant therapy. Consequently, the study of new image processing technologies is gaining significant importance. However, no prospective validation studies of these new technologies currently exist. The 3D-PANC study is a multicentre prospective study that will include patients with borderline or locally advanced PAC undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgical exploration with curative intent. The objective is to compare the accuracy of the 3D-MSP (Model for Surgery Planning) model versus conventional CT for preoperative diagnosis of vascular involvement after neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) in patients with borderline or locally advanced PAC. This will be achieved by analysing the accuracy variables of both techniques against the gold standard (surgical outcomes and histopathological analysis).