Mode
Text Size
Log in / Sign up

PRISM EHR-based model identifies adults at high risk for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in real-world setting.

PRISM EHR-based model identifies adults at high risk for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in real-wo…
Photo by Faustina Okeke / Unsplash
Key Takeaway
Consider that an EHR-based risk model can identify adults at high risk for pancreatic cancer, but clinical utility requires further validation.

This prospective multicenter cohort study deployed the PRISM electronic health record-based pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk model across 44 U.S. healthcare organizations. The population included 6,282,123 eligible adults aged ≥40 years without prior PDAC, of whom 5,058,067 had follow-up data over 30 months.

The primary outcome was incident PDAC. At a standardized incidence ratio (SIR) threshold of 5, the 30-month cumulative incidence was 0.35%, with a number needed to screen (NNS) of 284.2. At an SIR of 16, the incidence was 1.14% (NNS 87.4). At an SIR of 30, the incidence was 2.19% (NNS 45.7). The highest-risk tier had a PDAC incidence 30-fold higher than the study population. A total of 3,609 PDAC cases developed.

The median time from model deployment to PDAC diagnosis was 9.5 months. For individuals flagged as high-risk at an SIR of 5, the median time from the first flag to diagnosis was 3.5 years. Safety and tolerability data were not reported.

Key limitations include the observational design, which cannot establish causality, and the absence of reported p-values or confidence intervals. The practice relevance supports the real-world scalability of EHR-based risk stratification for early detection, but clinical implementation should be cautious pending further validation.

Study Details

Study typeCohort
EvidenceLevel 3
PublishedApr 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
Background and aims: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) surveillance is limited to individuals with familial or genetic risk although most future cases arise outside these groups. In a retrospective study, PRISM, an electronic health record (EHR)-based PDAC risk model, identified individuals in the general population at elevated near-term risk of PDAC. We aimed to prospectively evaluate whether PRISM can identify high-risk individuals beyond current surveillance groups across U.S. health systems. Methods: We performed a prospective multicenter cohort study after deployment of PRISM in April 2023 across 44 U.S. health care organizations. Eligible adults aged [≥]40 years without prior PDAC received a single baseline risk score and were assigned to prespecified risk tiers. Patients were followed for incident PDAC for 30 months. We estimated tier-specific 30-month cumulative incidence (positive predictive value, PPV), number needed to screen (NNS), standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), and time from deployment and first high-risk flag to diagnosis. Results: Among 6,282,123 adults assigned a PRISM score, 5,058,067 had follow-up; 3,609 developed PDAC. The highest-risk tier had 30-fold higher PDAC incidence than the study population. At the SIR 5 threshold, 30-month cumulative incidence was 0.35% (NNS, 284.2); at SIR 16, 1.14% (NNS, 87.4); and at SIR 30, 2.19% (NNS, 45.7). Median time from deployment to PDAC diagnosis was 9.5 months, and median time from first high-risk flag to diagnosis at SIR 5 was 3.5 years. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) analyses supported patient- and tier-level interpretability. Conclusions: Prospective deployment of PRISM across multiple U.S. health care organizations identified individuals at elevated near-term risk for PDAC, with substantial risk enrichment and lead time before diagnosis. These findings support the real-world scalability and generalizability of EHRbased risk stratification for risk-adapted early detection. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05973331
Free Newsletter

Clinical research that matters. Delivered to your inbox.

Join thousands of clinicians and researchers. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.