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Related Links:
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Pancreatic Cancer Screening - featured in USA Today
Click here to find out details on whether you should be screened for pancreatic cancer.
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14) Are there screening tests available?
Although there are no screening tests currently available to screen the general population, investigators at Johns Hopkins are working on developing new tests such as the endoscopic ultrasound. It is hoped that these new tests may prove effective, particularly when applied to slect groups of patients known to have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer such as individuals with a strong family history of pancreatic cancer.
CA19-9
is the best available tumor marker for following the progression of the
disease but is only 80% accurate in identifying patients with pancreatic
cancer. Due to the inability of CA19-9 to identify early potentially curable
disease, several other markers have been studied including SPAN-1, CA-50,
DUPAN-2, elastase-1, tissue polypeptide antigen and tissue polypeptide-specific
antigen. These markers have not performed nearly as well as the CA19-9. |
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An ideal pancreatic cancer screening test should be a safe, inexpensive,
highly accurate test that reliably diagnoses pancreas cancer at a stage
when it is not causing symptoms in the patient. This would provide that
person the opportunity to take appropriate and effective action to treat
and potentially cure the disease. Currently, we cannot offer a screening
test for pancreas cancer that begins to meet these demands. However, the
potential for screening this disease is considerably improved compared
to just a few years ago. |
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First of all, we know more about which individuals have a genetic
predisposition for developing this disease. Prior to the 1990's,
it was not widely appreciated how often pancreas cancer is an inherited
disease. Now we know that individuals with abnormalities in certain genes,
such as BRCA2, p16, HNPCC, and individuals with histories of familial pancreatitis
and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome are all predisposed to pancreatic cancer. These
are important discoveries. However, individuals who inherit damage to one
of these genes still represent only a modest proportion of all those individuals
at risk of developing pancreatic cancer. |
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Secondly, we now know much more about the changes in the DNA and other
molecules in the pancreas cells that give rise to pancreatic cancer. Most
of these changes are not inherited and occur as the result of
factors such as smoking, diet,
and age. Importantly, pancreatic cancer researchers are characterizing
these specific changes in DNA and other molecules. Armed with this knowledge,
it is hoped that over the next few years, specific and extremely sensitive
screening tests will be developed. Such a screening test will be able to
detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage when it still cannot be visualized
using state of the art diagnostic imaging techniques. Once such a screening
panel is in place, it can be offered to individuals who, from their family
history, know that they are at particular risk of developing this disease. |
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Because of the enormous need to develop a sensitive and specific screening text for early pancreatic cancer, we have a research laboratory at Johns Hopkins dedicated to finding new screening tests for pancreatic cancer. This lab is headed by Dr. Michael Goggins. You can find out more about this exciting lab here. |
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This site is supported by generous educational grants from
the Vesalius Trust
