Overview of prognostic and predictive factors in pancreatic cancer

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Mar 13 2020

Oncotarget Volume 11, Issue 10 reported that there are not standardized predictive biomarkers able to identify patients who benefit most from treatments.

The aim of this review is to provide an overview of prognostic and predictive markers used in clinical practice and to explore the most promising fields of research in terms of treatment selection and tailored therapy in pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Fabrizio Citarella from the Department of Medical Oncology, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome 00128, Italy said:

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the 12th most frequent cancer in the world and it is the 4th cause of cancer-related death in Western Countries, with a mortality rate almost equal to its incidence and a 5-year survival rate of 5–7%."

This review covers:

• HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• MOLECULAR FACTORS
• MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY
• GLYPICAN-1 (GPC1)-EXPRESSING CIRCULATING EXOSOMES
• microRNA AND LONG NON-CODING RNA
• CIRCURLATING TUMOR DNA AND CIRCULATING TUMOR CELLS
• CA19-9
• INFLAMMATORY MARKERS
• NOMOGRAMS AND PROGNOSTIC SCORES
• MECHANISMS OF DRUG RESISTANCE, and
• BRCA 1 AND 2

The Citarella Research Team concluded, in their Oncotarget Research Article:

In a changing landscape consisting of new chemotherapy regimens, immunotherapy, and target therapies, the identification of prognostic and predictive factors is needed in view of personalized medicine which aim to choose the best therapy for the right patient. Further studies are needed to better understand pancreatic cancer biology and to identify prognostic and predictive factors, which could help clinicians to stratify pancreatic cancer patients and improve their prognosis."