Detection tools, most pancreatic cancer diagnoses are identified in advanced stages and are typically unresectable (Vincent et al., 2011). Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for over 85% of pancreatic malignancies Effective early detection tools for pancreatic cancer are lacking in high-risk populations, including those with >5% lifetime risk (Zhang et al., 2018). Early screening methods for PDAC, including endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have not been shown to improve a patient's long-term survival rate.
However, both modalities are sensitive and specific for detecting small lesions or early cancer without the risks of radiation exposure. EUS performs better for small Spain phone number list solid lesions and provides an opportunity for tissue diagnosis by fine needle aspiration (FNA); however, it is more invasive (Zhang et al., 2018). For the few patients that have a PDAC diagnosis detected in its early stages, resection of the tumor is the only treatment with curative potential. The prognosis of PDAC remains poor, even in those with resectable disease with an overall 1-year survival rate.
Approximately 50–55% of patients at initial presentation have metastatic disease, which is considered unresectable, and only 20% have resectable disease. The remaining 25–30% have what is considered a borderline resectable disease (BR). In BR disease, the tumor remains within the pancreas but also invades nearby vasculature, including the superior mesenteric vein, superior mesenteric artery, celiac vessels, and portal vein, while, in general, resectable disease is considered a tumor limited to the pancreas with no arterial invasion (Versteinjine et al., 2022). However, there is great variability within these classifications.