Diagnostic biomarkers for pancreatic cancer: An update

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma accounts for the primary type of pancreatic cancer (PC) with a 5-year survival rate of only about 10% in the United States. Early diagnosis will improve chances for curative treatment. To date, a broadly used serum marker for PC diagnosis is carbohydrate antigen 19-9, which is the only approved biomarker currently by the United States Food and Drug Administration. However, it has low specificity; therefore, development of novel biomarkers is urgently needed. Clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate candidate biomarkers for PC diagnosis, and the use of a multi-biomarker panel with current PC diagnostic biomarkers appears promising.

Keywords: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Diagnosis; Biomarkers; Panel; Clinical trials

Core Tip: The development of ideal diagnostic biomarkers for pancreatic cancer (PC) is critically important for early diagnosis, large-scale screening, monitoring of therapeutic response, prediction of risk, and prognosis. So far, the only approved serum marker for PC diagnosis is carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in the United States; although, many potential biomarkers have been investigated. However, CA 19-9 has low sensitivity; hence, new solutions are needed. Herein, we summarize some of the ongoing clinical trials that aim to investigate the application of biomarkers in PC diagnosis.