Published online Feb 10, 2016. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v8.i3.128
Peer-review started: July 29, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: October 17, 2015
Accepted: December 7, 2015
Article in press: December 8, 2015
Published online: February 10, 2016
Processing time: 186 Days and 6.4 Hours
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are two malignancies that carry significant morbidity and mortality. The poor prognoses of these cancers are strongly related to lack of effective screening modalities as well as few therapeutic options. In this review, we highlight novel biomarkers that have the potential to be used as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive markers. The focus of this review is biomarkers that can be evaluated on endoscopically-obtained biopsies or brush specimens in the pre-operative setting. We also provide an overview of novel serum based markers in the early diagnosis of both PDAC and CCA. In pancreatic cancer, the emphasis is placed on prognostic and theranostic markers, whereas in CCA the utility of molecular markers in diagnosis and prognosis are highlighted.
Core tip: The poor prognoses of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are strongly related to lack of effective screening modalities as well as few therapeutic options. Several novel biomarkers have been studied that have shown promise for early diagnosis and targeted therapy of these malignancies. These biomarkers provide a strong background for future clinical studies to screen for PDAC and CCA in the general population as well as to investigate molecularly targeted therapies.