Molecular diagnosis in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. The difficulty in detecting pancreatic cancer at an early stage, aggressiveness, and the lack of effective therapy contribute to high mortality. There is much interest in molecular profiling of pancreatic cancer. Gene mutation analysis has provided insight into the pathogenesis and progression from pre-invasive lesions to invasive cancer. Potential specimen sources for molecular analysis include serum or plasma, pancreatic juice, pancreatic cells obtained by fine-needle aspiration or cytological brushings, bile and stools. This review focuses on expression biomarkers that have been identified at genomic transcriptomic and proteomic levels.