Pancreatic cancer screening in high-risk individuals

Abstract

The incidence of pancreatic cancer is increasing, although globally it represents less than 3 % of all cancers (1). Its upward mortality trend seems to have slowed or stabilized in some regions of our country, possibly influenced by a reduction in the prevalence of smoking (2). However, despite advances in medical and surgical management, survival rates have not significantly improved in recent years (3). Consequently, pancreatic cancer, though relatively uncommon, is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths (1). This is primarily due to the late detection of the disease. Symptoms appear late in its course and are nonspecific, and over 80 % of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage unsuitable for curative surgery, resulting in a five-year survival rate below 10 % (1). However, the exceptional cases that are diagnosed early show five-year survival rates exceeding 80 % (4). Therefore, one of the keys to improving pancreatic cancer prognosis lies in early detection, making screening of high-risk individuals a potentially crucial strategy.