Peninsula Health is among 33 health services nationwide working to optimise pancreatic cancer care, equipping clinicians with the confidence to deliver the most effective treatment tailored to each patient.
The SCANPatient trial, led by Peninsula Health and Upper Gastrointestinal surgeon Associate Professor Charles Pilgrim, aims to improve diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scans through the use of synoptic reporting.
“By introducing synoptic reporting, we will see a more structured, formalised assessment of patient scans,” shares Associate Professor Pilgrim. “This approach will assist in accurately classifying patients into the appropriate stage of their disease, directly impacting their treatment plans.”
Now entering its final year, the three-year trial will see Peninsula Health officially randomised to the implementation of synoptic reporting this August. To date, the service has contributed 50 pancreatic cancer patients to a national cohort of more than 2,200 participants.
By the end of the study, the trial is on track to involve more than 3,000 patients.
“I believe that by the end of the trial, all Australian hospitals performing significant volumes of pancreatic cancer work will be using this tool. We hope that many, if not all, will also continue to report their scans using this method going forward,” explains Associate Professor Pilgrim.
“Synoptic reporting will fundamentally shift clinicians’ expectations of what scan reports can and should look like, as they become accustomed to reports that provide such comprehensive information.”
In November 2026, the trial’s final data will be collected and analysed, focusing on how frequently different classification systems were used before and after the introduction of synoptic reporting.
“Participating in this trial is about ensuring that we are actively stratifying, classifying patients with the intention of optimising their care. It’s a credit to Frankston Hospital, proving that we are a big player in pancreatic cancer nationally and we’re committed to this sort of research,” concludes Associate Professor Pilgrim.