Prognostic markers in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas

摘要

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer related mortality in the United States with over 30 000 deaths each year.1 While the pancreas, which harbors both exocrine and endocrine cell types, may give rise to both neuroendo-crine tumors and PDAC, it is the latter which is the more common and lethal form of pancreatic cancer. PDAC carries a median survival of about six months. There is currently no early diagnostic test and the majority of cases are detected at an advanced disease stage where surgery is not possible. Even when the cancer is detected at early stage and surgical resection is feasible most patients suffer a recurrence of cancer within six months to three years that ultimately is fatal. Five-year survival after surgery ranges to approx 15-20% at best, speaking to the challenge this disease presents, even when diagnosed before frankmetastasis or local invasion is seen.