Molecular diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: where do we stand?
Pancreatic cancer remains a disease with a dismal prognosis due mostly to its late diagnosis. An early diagnosis would have a significant impact on the prognosis and, eventually, on the incidence of the disease itself. Many progresses have been made in the molecular diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. High risk patients would likely benefits from biologic screening, before the general population. Most of the markers remain limited to phase I and II studies. The challenges include the lack of specificity of some of the markers, as well as the lack of standardization within the laboratories. Further research is necessary prior to the application of the currently known biomarkers for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Lo Menzo
Emanuele
E
Division of Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA. elomenzo@hotmail.com
Di Vita
Maria
M
Berretta
Massimiliano
M
Veroux
Pierfrancesco
P
Zanghi
Antonio
A
Cavallaro
Andrea
A
Cacopardo
Bruno
B
Cappellani
Alessandro
A
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor