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Dao-Lin Ji, Chun-Long Li, Yun-Fu Cui, Department of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
Supported by: the Science and Technology Program of Heilongjiang Province, No. GC12C304-1
Correspondence to: Yun-Fu Cui, Professor, Chief Physician, Department of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 246 Xuefu Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China. yfcui777@hotmail.com
Received: March 12, 2014 Revised: April 5, 2014 Accepted: April 17, 2014 Published online: June 18, 2014
Pancreatic cancer is a common malignancy of the pancreas, with about 90% originating in the glandular epithelium. As a highly malignant gastrointestinal tumor, pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose and treat. The silent nature of the clinical manifestations and the difficulty of early diagnosis lead to a poor prognosis. In recent years, the incidence rate and mortality rate have increased significantly, with the 5-year survival rate being less than 1%. It is evident that early diagnosis is an effective strategy to improve the prognosis and therefore has become a hotspot of research. This article reviews the progress in early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in terms of imageological diagnosis, serological examinations and genomic testing as well as the screening of high-risk populations.
Key Words: Pancreas; Pancreatic cancer; Tumor; Early diagnosis
Citation: Ji DL, Li CL, Cui YF. Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Shijie Huaren Xiaohua Zazhi 2014; 22(17): 2406-2413
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