Screening for early pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: an urgent call!

Cancer of the pancreas is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. The annual death rate from the disease almost equals the annual incidence due to the aggressive nature of the cancer as well as to the lack of effective means of screening for it during its early curable stage. Molecular markers and imaging have not proven to be accurate modalities for screening for pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer continues to be an overwhelming challenge. The authors discuss the current status of screening for pancreatic cancer and summarize relevant studies presented in the 2009 GI Cancers Symposium: utility of endoscopic ultrasound in screening high risk patients (Abstract #112), diagnostic performance of a highly specific antibody for MUC1 (Abstract #113), use of metabonomics for the early detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (Abstract #126), and a report on the potential impact of delay in diagnosis and treatment on pancreatic cancer outcomes at a tertiary care center (Abstract #137).