Sistema Gastrointestinal e Digestivo

Abstrato

The Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management of Pancreatic Cancer

Lavina Malhotra, Daniel H. Ahn, Mark Bloomston

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive and devastating disease accounting for 44,000 new cases per year in US. It is characterized by invasiveness, rapid progression and profound resistance to treatment. The majority of cases are diagnosed above age 65 with about 60% of cases at an advanced stage and 5 year survival less than 10%. Advances in molecular biology have greatly improved our understanding of pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Many patients have mutations of K-ras oncogene and various tumor suppressor genes are also investigated. Radical surgery remains the only curative treatment option for pancreatic cancer in early stages. For locally advanced, unresectable and metastatic disease, treatment is palliative, in form of adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. Gemcitabine based combinations have essentially failed to provide a substantial prolongation of survival and constitute treatment option only in patients with a good performance status. This article provides an overview of epidemiology, risks factors, molecular genetics, biomarkers, diagnostic modality and evidence based therapeutic options for resectable and palliative options for unresectable disease.