Pancreatic cancer: diagnosis and treatments

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with exceptionally high mortality. Despite the relatively low incidence rate (10th), it is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in most developed countries. To improve the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and strengthen the standardized comprehensive treatment are still the main focus of pancreatic cancer research. Here, we summarized the rapid developments in the diagnosis and treatments of pancreatic cancer. Regarding diagnosis, we reviewed advances in medical imaging technology, tumor markers, molecular biology (e.g., gene mutation), and proteomics. Moreover, great progress has also been made in the treatments of this disease, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, targeted radiotherapy, targeted minimally invasive treatment, and molecular targeted therapy. Therefore, we also recapitulated the development, advantages, and disadvantages of each of the treatment methods in this review.