Mucins in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Pancreatic Diseases

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Due to its asymptomatic nature and lack of methods for early detection, gt 80% of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients present with an unresectable primary tumor with distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. While the overall 5 year survival rate of pancreatic cancer is dismal, significantly better outcomes have been reported for smaller tumors detected at an earlier stage. Slow development of PC in conjunction with the better curative response of patients with early disease underscore the need of early detection of pancreatic cancer. While there is no consensus on the diagnostic approaches for early detection of PC, in light of its rare prevalence, there is a growing agreement to target high-risk individual for early diagnosis. Individuals with familial PC and patients harboring cystic lesions in the pancreas are considered be the two well defined high-risk groups likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cystic lesions, earlier considered to be rare, are increa