Objective To explore the value of multislice spiral CT(MSCT)and MRI scanning in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis.Methods A total of 50 patients with pancreatic cancer and 50 patients with pancreatitis admitted to Dezhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from December 2021 to December 2023 were selected as the observation subjects of this study.All patients underwent MSCT and MRI scans,and the clinical pathological results were used as the gold standard to analyze their differential diagnostic value.Results The diagnostic accuracy of MSCT and MRI for pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis was lower than that of the combined examination of MSCT and MRI,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).However,there was no statistically significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between MSCT and MRI(P>0.05).The CT value of pancreatic cancer at different scanning periods was lower than that of pancreatitis,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Analysis and comparison of the imaging features of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis showed that pancreatic cancer had a higher proportion of enlarged pancreatic volume,enlarged surrounding lymph nodes,lesions invading surrounding tissues and large blood vessels than pancreatitis,and had a lower proportion of irregular dilatation of the pancreaticobiliary duct,arterial phase enhancement,calcification in the lesion,and invasion of surrounding cysts than pancreatitis,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion The combined diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis by MSCT and MRI has a higher accuracy rate than that of a single examination,and can perform differential diagnosis through imaging features such as pancreatic volume,surrounding lymph nodes,and CT values a t different scanning stages.