Mayo Clinic study links CT scan body composition changes to pancreatic cancer risk

A Mayo Clinic study published in Pancreatology suggests that measurable changes in body composition on CT scans may help identify individuals at risk for pancreatic cancer years before a clinical diagnosis. Researchers found that patients who developed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) experienced steeper declines in visceral and subcutaneous fat over the three years preceding diagnosis compared to matched control groups.

The study, which is the largest controlled investigation of its kind, analyzed abdominal CT scans from 1,825 patients with PDAC and 3,650 controls across Mayo Clinic sites in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota. Using an artificial intelligence-based tool, the team measured fluctuations in skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat over time.

Senior author Dr. Yan Bi noted that because pancreatic cancer often develops silently, early detection is extremely difficult. The findings indicate that physiological changes captured during routine CT scans could potentially serve as early indicators of the disease, even in patients without inherited genetic risks or strong family histories.