Pancreatic Core Biopsy Needle Study in Patients Suspected of Pancreatic Malignancy

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, and a quick and correct diagnosis is essential. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is highly accurate regarding the detection of pancreatic cancer, and EUS guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) may be used to verify the diagnosis in patients with non-resectable or metastatic disease. However, EUS-FNA is only diagnostic in approximately 70% of the cases, and the reported number of "atypical", "suspicious" and "insufficient" biopsies varies. SharkCore (TM) is a new type of EUS fine needle that allows the extraction of macroscopic tissue fractions ("trucut biopsies") instead of single cells or cluster of cells. Preliminary data suggest that EUS guided trucut biopsies from the pancreatic lesions are technically feasible without increasing the number of complications. This prospective study evaluates the clinical outcome and potential complications following EUS guided biopsy of pancreatic lesions suspected of cancer using a 25 Gauge or 22 Gauge SharkCore needle.