Findings from the new study suggest that a protein called pentraxin 3 (PTX3) may be a specific diagnostic biomarker or biological measure for pancreatic cancer, with the ability to differentiate pancreatic cancer from other non-cancerous conditions of the pancreas.

In the study, researchers measured PTX3 levels in serum blood samples from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) - the most common type of pancreatic cancer and from healthy volunteers or patients with other non-cancerous conditions of the pancreas, and found levels of the protein to be significantly higher in the serum samples of those with PDAC.

Patients with PDAC had notably higher serum PTX3 levels than those with intra-ductal papillary mucinous neoplasm or chronic pancreatitis—two non-cancerous conditions that often present with similar symptoms to PDAC, making a definitive diagnosis more difficult. In the clinic, computerised tomography (CT) scanning is usually used in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Although CT can detect the presence of a pancreatic mass, it cannot distinguish pancreatic cancer from other non-cancerous pancreatic diseases. This poses frequent diagnostic dilemmas in clinical practice, and there are currently no clinically applicable biomarkers for the early detection of PDAC.

The findings from our study suggest that PTX3 could be used as a biomarker to improve PDAC diagnosis, and warrants further testing to determine whether it could aid early detection of PDAC in the clinic. This research has been made possible by an international collaboration of cancer biologists, surgeons, oncologists, clinical triallists, statisticians and bio-banking specialists, with funding from a number of sources.

Regards

John
Editorial Assistant
Journal of Medical and Surgical Pathology