Psychological impact of pancreatic cancer screening by EUS or magnetic resonance imaging in high-risk individuals: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is an increasing global interest in screening programs aiming to detect pancreatic cancer (PC) in an early and potentially curable stage. Concerns still remain as to whether screening would confer any survival benefit. Another approach to evaluate the benefits of the pancreatic screening programs would be to consider its impact on the quality of life of the individuals who at risk of developing cancer. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the current knowledge regarding the psychological impact of participation in routine screening for PC. METHODS: A systematic literature search was carried out in January 2018 in three major databases which are as follows: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Cross-sectional and prospective studies evaluating the psychological aspects of screening in high-risk individuals were included in the study. For each study, the following data were recorded: name of first author, year of publication, study design, study population, aims, screening protocol, outcomes and instruments, main results, and summary of findings. RESULTS: Six cohort studies and one cross-sectional study that addressed the psychological aspects of PC screening were included in the analysis. Overall, studies have shown that high-risk individuals have positive psychological outcomes from participating in PC screening programs. CONCLUSIONS: Although screening might not always be reassuring, it may improve individuals’ quality of life, and this should be an important aspect when considering PC screening.