Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality and it is expected to become the second most common cause of cancer mortality by 2020 in the USA. Which strategies for the detection and treatment of an early stage pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesions are to be applied? Currently, there is no effective general screening program for pancreatic cancer due to the low incidence and the lack of an accurate and inexpensive diagnostic method; however, in patients with apositive history of hereditary pancreatic cancer or in patients with aknown sporadic germline mutation that is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, frequent screening is highly recommended to detect and to treat early stage PDAC. Moreover, patients with aprecursor lesion for pancreatic cancer (namely amucinous pancreatic neoplasm) should undergo an oncological pancreatic resection to prevent the development of late stage pancreatic cancer. In future, additional biomarkers from aliquid biopsy, such as circulating tumor cells, exosomes or circulating tumor DNA may improve the early detection of pancreatic cancer. The early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer and its precursor lesions can help to improve the dismal prognosis of this aggressive tumor type.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Der Chirurg; Zeitschrift fur alle Gebiete der operativen Medizen
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
