REVIEW ARTICLE - CURRENT PRACTICE AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES IN DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC-CANCER

Pancreatic cancer is the tenth most prevalent malignancy and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the developed world. Less than 1 0% of patients survive for more than 1 year following diagnosis and th e 5-year survival rate (0.4%) is the lowest of any cancer. The poor pr ognosis associated with this diagnosis led in the past to therapeutic nihilism on the part of clinicians who were all too aware of the limit ations of their available therapeutic strategies. Breaking; this thera peutic impasse requires a significant expansion in the knowledge of cl inicians concerning the pathogenesis and behaviour of pancreatic cance r. Recent advances in the scientific understanding of the aetiology of pancreatic cancer has facilitated progress towards the development of promising and innovative approaches to the early detection and diagno sis of pancreatic cancer. While acknowledging that pancreatic cancer w ill continue to present significant challenges to both scientists and clinicians in the foreseeable future, it is becoming increasingly clea r that recent advances in our scientific knowledge base holds the pote ntial tn significantly improve prognosis for patients. The. challenge facing both scientists and clinicians is how best to translate such pr omising scientific advances into survival and quality of life benefits to patients.