Biomarker Predicts Which Pancreatic Cysts Can Become Cancerous: One Study – Xinhua

CHICAGO, June 5 (Xinhua) – A team of researchers led by researchers from the University of Washington's School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified pancreatic cysts that may become 95% cancer-correct, while current clinical guidelines are only about 74%.

In this study, the researchers collected fluid from the cysts of 169 operated patients to remove pancreatic cysts and badyzed the fluid using a Das-1 antibody biomarker detection baday.

The researchers found that the biomarker was more accurate than any current method for predicting cancer risk in these patients with pancreatic cysts.

In a next step, researchers will see if the biomarker can identify pancreatic cysts likely to become cancerous before the patient's surgery.

Pancreatic cancer kills more than 45,000 people in the United States each year. Some 2-4% of patients aged 50-70 are likely to have pancreatic cysts, and the percentage increases from 8 to 9% in people over 80 years of age.

Although surgery effectively removes precancerous cysts, 1 to 2% of operated patients do not survive. The rate of surgical complications can range from 30% to 60%.

"Many, if not most, cysts should probably remain alone," said first author, Koushik K. Das, an badistant professor of medicine at the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Washington. "If we had a better biomarker, we would not have to rely on imperfect clinical and radiographic information."

The study is published online Wednesday in the journal Gastroenterology.