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World J Gastroenterol. Jul 7, 2026; 32(25): 119116
Published online Jul 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119116
Published online Jul 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119116
Reconsidering the role of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in pancreatic cancer progression
Yan-Ling Li, Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Dong-Jie Zhang, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Ying-Ying Zhu, Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Chun-Xi Wang, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
Qing Liu, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Chun-Xi Wang and Qing Liu.
Author contributions: Wang CX and Liu Q conceived the article and provided overall academic supervision; Li YL conducted the literature synthesis and drafted the manuscript; Zhang DJ and Zhu YY contributed to critical review of the evidence and intellectual revisions; Wang CX and Liu Q critically revised and approved the final manuscript as co-corresponding authors; all authors approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: ChatGPT was used solely for language polishing to improve the grammar, clarity, and readability of the manuscript. The scientific content, including the abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion, was entirely written by the authors and was not generated by AI. AI tools were not involved in the study design, data analysis, interpretation of results, or formulation of scientific conclusions. In addition, no figures, images, or graphical materials included in this manuscript were generated by AI.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Corresponding author: Chun-Xi Wang, MD, Doctor, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Xinmin Street, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China. wangchunxi_2020@126.com
Received: January 20, 2026
Revised: February 21, 2026
Accepted: March 19, 2026
Published online: July 7, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 9 Hours
Revised: February 21, 2026
Accepted: March 19, 2026
Published online: July 7, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease is biologically linked to hepatic inflammation and immune modulation, yet emerging real-world evidence indicates that it is not an independent determinant of liver metastasis or survival in pancreatic cancer. Clinically, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease should be interpreted as a contextual metabolic comorbidity rather than a decisive prognostic factor, avoiding overinterpretation of incidental hepatic steatosis in risk assessment.