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©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Jan 24, 2026; 17(1): 116090
Published online Jan 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i1.116090
Published online Jan 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i1.116090
Beyond sensitivity and specificity: Redefining the era connotation of “low-risk” in pancreatic cancer screening
Rui-Gang Wang, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
Author contributions: Wang RG contributed to writing, revising, and reviewing this manuscript.
Supported by Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital Youth Fund, No. 12021C1011; and the Capital Medical Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Transformation Optimization Promotion Plan, No. YC202501QX0920.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Rui-Gang Wang, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, No. 168 Litang Road, Changping District, Beijing 102218, China.
Received: November 2, 2025
Revised: November 26, 2025
Accepted: December 29, 2025
Published online: January 24, 2026
Processing time: 79 Days and 7.4 Hours
Revised: November 26, 2025
Accepted: December 29, 2025
Published online: January 24, 2026
Processing time: 79 Days and 7.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This commentary argues that the conventional “low-risk” label for pancreatic cancer, based solely on family history and known genetic syndromes, is obsolete. We propose a paradigm shift towards a dynamic, multidimensional risk model. This framework continuously integrates polygenic risk scores, liquid biopsy biomarkers (e.g., circulating tumor DNA), lifestyle factors, and artificial intelligence to enable real-time, personalized risk stratification. This approach can reclassify a significant portion of the “low-risk” population, paving the way for precision screening and potentially transforming early detection strategies for this lethal malignancy.