Risk factors for unresectable pancreatic cancer following high‐intensity focused ultrasound treatment

PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignant tumors with poor prognosis. High‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is an effective and safe treatment option for advanced pancreatic cancer, however, the survival time of patients after the treatment was different. So, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the high‐risk characteristics and prognosis of unresectable pancreatic cancer after HIFU treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 30 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer who received HIFU at Beijing Friendship Hospital. Data on patients' tumor size, pain scores, peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets, CA19‐9 and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features were collected to assess the relationship with overall survival (OS) after HIFU. RESULTS: The median OS from the start of HIFU treatment was 159 days, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 108–210. The levels of pain were determined by visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and the quartile of the score decreased from 6 (2, 7) to 4 (2, 5) immediately after one session of the treatment (p = 0.001). The diagnostic model showed that high post VAS score and decreasing of peripheral CD4(+) T cells were significantly correlated with poor prognosis (p < 0.05), and showed good discrimination ability (AUC = 0.848, 95% CI = 0.709–0.987). CONCLUSION: HIFU can effectively relieve pain in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Post treatment VAS and change of peripheral CD4(+) T cells are independent risk factors affecting the prognosis in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer after HIFU treatment.