Validation of a Pancreatic Cancer Risk Model and Assessment of the Predictive Value of Blood Biomarkers
This study evaluates the validation of a pancreatic cancer risk model and assessment of the predictive value of blood biomarkers in patients with a high risk for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease, because it is usually diagnosed when it has already spread, which makes it incurable. There is currently no method that can help doctors identify people that are at high-risk for pancreatic cancer out of the general public. The only people currently eligible for screening with imaging for pancreatic cancer, which leads to early detection and cure, are those with an inherited predisposition (for example, those with first-degree relatives with pancreatic cancer or those with a known genetic syndrome). The risk model in this study utilizes a double-screening strategy that includes a computer-based model developed by a team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that uses clinical data from medical records and three different blood tests for early detection of pancreatic cancer. Validation of this risk model may lead to earlier detection of PDAC in future patients.