A Multi-faceted Approach to the Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The extremely low survival rate among pancreatic cancer patients is primarily due to the fact that a large fraction (about 85%) of tumors is metastatic at the time of diagnosis. The early detection of pancreatic cancer during a potential surgically restorative stage, therefore, is needed to improve the survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients. Given that the histologic progression from PanINs (Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia) to invasive and metastatic pancreatic cancer is associated with the sequential appearance of molecular abnormalities, such biomarkers can provide a basis for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, individual biomarkers are often limited in their sensitivity or specificity. Therefore, given the variety of biomarkers in serum, the ability to separate target biomarkers from other competing biomarkers in a sensitive and specific manner is highly desirable. In essence, the collection and separation of multiple complementary biomarkers must be considered in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we propose the use of nano-sized constructs to simultaneously collect and separate varying levels of multiple early-stage pancreatic cancer biomarkers.