Clinical Applications of Classical and Novel Biological Markers of Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma have increased in recent years. Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer death, but it is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality by 2040. Most patients are diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, with very limited 5-year survival. The discovery of different tissue markers has elucidated the underlying pathophysiology of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and allowed stratification of patient risk at different stages and assessment of tumour recurrence. Due to the invasive capacity of this tumour and the absence of screening markers, new immunohistochemical and serological markers may be used as prognostic markers for recurrence and in the study of possible new therapeutic targets because the survival of these patients is low in most cases. The present article reviews the currently used main histopathological and serological markers and discusses the main characteristics of markers under development.

Keywords: histological markers; pancreatic adenocarcinoma; pancreatic immunohistochemistry; serological markers.

Figure 1

An overview of the main biomarkers used in pancreatic cancer. These markers are found in the proper tumour environment, as studied by histological techniques or released in blood or lymphatic vessels, which may be studied in the form of serological analysis. All of these markers are involved or related to the different oncogenic processes that occur in the tumour, including enhanced proliferation, immune and cell death evasion, the inflammatory environment, metastasis, and other hallmarks of cancer. The study and inclusion of these markers in clinical practice may greatly aid the clinical management of patients with pancreatic cancer, including at the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic (predictive) levels.