Next-generation metabolic imaging in pancreatic cancer

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the lack of specific symptoms or diagnostic markers, the highly aggressive nature of the disease and high intrinsic and acquired therapy resistance all result in a virtually unchanged overall 5-year survival rate of around 5%.1 Thus, early detection of PDAC is a major task for improvement of prognosis and management of this fatal disease as surgery currently presents the only option for long-term survival.2 Conventional imaging techniques, including CT, proton-based MRI and endoscopic ultrasound, differentiate tumour tissue based on morphological and physiological (eg, reduced perfusion) changes, often not present in precursor lesions and early-stage tumours. Consequently, emerging innovative imaging technologies include molecular and metabolic approaches that allow the assessment of tumour biology. Cancer phenotypes result from a host of mutational events, including signalling pathways that adapt tumour cell metabolism to support growth. One of these metabolic phenotypes observed in tumour...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research