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.