Biomarkers Identified Which Could Help Detect Lymph Node Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer Patients

For years, surgeons have operated on pancreatic cancer patients to remove what they thought was a localized tumor only to discover that the disease had spread to other, inoperable parts of the body. Now, a City of Hope molecular scientist thinks he may have found a way to prevent ineffective surgeries and prolong the lives of these patients.

Unlike breast, skin or prostate cancer, there is no standard-of-care screening test for pancreatic cancer. And because the pancreas is situated deep within the abdominal cavity, today’s imaging technology often doesn’t see the pancreatic tumors and are not sensitive enough to detect the minority of cancer cells that have already spread to lymph nodes. Read more . . .