Published online May 7, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i17.1936
Peer-review started: January 20, 2021
First decision: February 23, 2021
Revised: March 2, 2021
Accepted: April 9, 2021
Article in press: April 9, 2021
Published online: May 7, 2021
Processing time: 99 Days and 1.1 Hours
Progress in the fight against pancreatic cancer has been hampered by many factors. One of them is the inability to detect the disease early in overwhelming majority of patients. The present paper outlines a novel way in which progress could be accelerated. This includes a focus on two harbingers—post-pancreatitis diabetes mellitus and excess intra-pancreatic fat deposition—that converge at affecting the tumor macroenvironment and microenvironment specifically in the pancreas, not other organs. The two entities have the potential to be incorporated into future screening strategies with a view to early detecting of pancreatic cancer.
Core Tip: Identification of harbingers of pancreatic cancer that are specifically related to the pancreas is necessary to enable cost-effective and achievement-appropriate screening for this disease. Post-pancreatitis diabetes mellitus and excess intra-pancreatic fat deposition are positioned well to serve the purpose.