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Review
. 2025 Feb:74:101991.
doi: 10.1016/j.bpg.2025.101991. Epub 2025 Feb 15.

The exposome as a target for primary prevention and a tool for early detection of pancreatic cancer

Gaetano Lauri  1 , Krystal Mills  2 , Shounak Majumder  2 , Gabriele Capurso  3
Affiliations
Review

The exposome as a target for primary prevention and a tool for early detection of pancreatic cancer

Gaetano Lauri et al. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited survival due to late stage diagnosis and scarce therapeutic options. Emerging evidence highlights the role of the "exposome," which encompasses environmental, lifestyle, and metabolic exposures, as a crucial determinant in PDAC risk and a potential avenue for early detection. This review synthesizes findings on modifiable risk factors, including smoking, obesity, diabetes, diet, and alcohol consumption, and their interplay with genetic and metabolic profiles in PDAC development. Additionally, we explore cutting-edge approaches in exposomic research, such as biobanking, electronic health record analysis, and AI-driven predictive models, to identify early biomarkers and stratify high-risk populations. This integrated framework aims to inform prevention strategies and improve early detection of PDAC.

Keywords: Biobanking; Biomarkers; Early detection; Environmental; Exposome; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Risk factors; Smoking.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest Shounak Majumder is listed as inventor under an intellectual property development agreement between Mayo Clinic and Exact Sciences and could share potential future royalties as an employee of Mayo Clinic. All other authors have no conflict of interest to report regarding the study.

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