Screening for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for approximately 45  750 deaths per year, and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2020. The vast majority of patients with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed at a late stage of disease, when treatments are palliative. Only 10% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer undergo potentiall y curative surgery, and 5-year survival across all stages is approximately 9%. Early diagnosis and detection of precursor lesions is therefore an attractive approach to decrease pancreatic cancer morbidity and mortality.
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research