Early Blood Test for Pancreatic Cancer

In that in a majority of cases of pancreatic cancer, the cancer has spread (metastasized) before it is diagnosed, early detection of the disease can potentially raise treatment and survival rates.  Masaru Yoshida, from Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan), and colleagues have designed a new blood test that employs the science of metabolomics, to measure byproducts of metabolism, known as metabolites, found in the blood. The team considered the differences between the levels of metabolites in patients with and without pancreatic cancer to be a marker that identifies those with cancer, and reported that the test had a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 78.1% when it was used with patients with pancreatic cancer and patients with chronic pancreatitis.  The study authors submit that: “It is a promising method for improving the prognosis of pancreatic cancer via its early detection and accurate discrimination from chronic pancreatitis”.