Scientists develop new ‘non-invasive’ test for early-stage pancreatic cancer

Because there are few specific symptoms of even advanced pancreatic cancer, most people are diagnosed late, after the cancer has spread.

“This is important since if this cancer is detected early, patients can undergo surgery, which greatly increases the survival”.

Possibly a bit too much excitement, in the case of today’s story.

So what’s the actual story?

Florida Hospital Tampa has started treating select pancreatic cancer patients using the RenovoCath, a catheter that was developed for targeted delivery of fluids to selected sites in the peripheral vascular system.

And while some research has shown CA19-9 levels might be raised in patients up to two years before they’re diagnosed, it’s not yet accurate enough to use to diagnose patients.

A new study reveals how researchers have uncovered a biomarker for pancreatic cancer in patients’ urine, paving the way for a low-cost, noninvasive test that could diagnose the disease in its early stages.

“We have all the time been eager to develop a diagnostic check in urine because it has a number of benefits over utilizing blood”, stated Dr. Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic, a researcher at Queen Mary College of London.

Pancreatic cancer is a disease affecting the organ that is located behind the stomach and in front of the spine.

Leanne Reynolds, head of research, Pancreatic Cancer UK, describes the findings as “exciting news”, but cautions in a separate statement that: “We are a long way off a urine test being widely available to diagnose pancreatic cancer, and that is why we need more research to determine whether this could be turned into a screening test for the disease”.

One hundred and seventeen samples from patients with other liver and gallbladder conditions (both benign and malignant) were used in order to further validate the study. So in combination, the set of proteins seems to be fairly good at differentiating healthy individuals from patients. When combined, the three proteins formed a robust panel that can detect patients with stages I-II pancreatic cancer with over 90 per cent accuracy.

People in Wales were also most likely to say they had heard of pancreatic cancer but knew nothing about it (29%), compared to 20% in England, 21% in Northern Ireland and 24% in Scotland.

It will allow doctors to differentiate between the cancer and the inflammatory condition chronic pancreatitis, which can be very hard.

If pancreatic cancer is suspected, screening tests will be arranged, such as ultrasound, Connecticut scans and MRI scans. As the risk of cancer increase with age, it is crucial to see if the results are the same when comparing apples to apples.

Those at increased risk of pancreatic cancer include people with a family history of the disease, who smoke or are obese.

There is no existing early diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer, which has the lowest five-year survival rate of all cancers, about three per cent in Britain. It is hoped that with early detection, the survival rate for pancreatic cancer will improve.

The findings are detailed in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.