In 2020, there were 495,000 new pancreatic cancer cases worldwide making the disease the 12th most common malignancy (2.6% of all cancers) and the 7th leading cause of cancer mortality (4.7% of all cancers). GLOBOCAN estimated that in 20 years, pancreatic cancer rates will increase by 70% with 844,000 new cases each year. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates are about fivefold higher in countries with high/very high Human Development Index than in low/medium countries. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating malignancies, with an incidence equaling mortality, and has the lowest 5-year survival proportion with a 5-year survival rate of 10%. The poor prognosis is related to both late stage at diagnosis and poor response to treatment. Pancreatic cancer cells are characterized by a hypermutated landscape, with four most commonly mutated genes: the KRAS oncogene, TP53, CDKN2A, and SMAD4. The International Classification of Disease—Oncology, 3rd edition has been given the site codes C250–C259 for pancreatic cancer.
The rate of pancreatic cancer is on the rise all over the world. Despite the recent advances in our understanding of etiology of pancreatic cancer, more is needed to explore its molecular pathogenesis. To add insult to the injury, most cases of pancreatic cancer are discovered in their late stage with gloomy prognoses. Development of a new test or a panel of them for early identification will improve outcome. Equally importantly, setting up a practical strategy for screening of pancreatic cancer. There is no consensus on who, how and when to screen and this subject needs to be addressed.
Poor response to treatment is another head ache in pancreatic cancer and finding predictive markers will improve response and reduce the unnecessary exposure to side effects of treatments whether chemo- or radiotherapy.
This Research topic will accept publications primarily on, but not limited to, the following:
1-Advances in pancreatic cancer screening, especially in those with inherited and familial tendencies with special focus on molecular and genetic tools.
2-Understanding of molecular pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.
3- Latest methods in early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with advances on molecular biomarkers.
4- Pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics of treatments for pancreatic cancer
5- Gene therapy in pancreatic cancer.
Bioinformatic studies are welcome, however, these should not be based solely on analysis of publicly available datasets such as TCGA. It is essential to have an independent validation cohort for statistically significant confirmation of the findings communicated.
In 2020, there were 495,000 new pancreatic cancer cases worldwide making the disease the 12th most common malignancy (2.6% of all cancers) and the 7th leading cause of cancer mortality (4.7% of all cancers). GLOBOCAN estimated that in 20 years, pancreatic cancer rates will increase by 70% with 844,000 new cases each year. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates are about fivefold higher in countries with high/very high Human Development Index than in low/medium countries. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating malignancies, with an incidence equaling mortality, and has the lowest 5-year survival proportion with a 5-year survival rate of 10%. The poor prognosis is related to both late stage at diagnosis and poor response to treatment. Pancreatic cancer cells are characterized by a hypermutated landscape, with four most commonly mutated genes: the KRAS oncogene, TP53, CDKN2A, and SMAD4. The International Classification of Disease—Oncology, 3rd edition has been given the site codes C250–C259 for pancreatic cancer.
The rate of pancreatic cancer is on the rise all over the world. Despite the recent advances in our understanding of etiology of pancreatic cancer, more is needed to explore its molecular pathogenesis. To add insult to the injury, most cases of pancreatic cancer are discovered in their late stage with gloomy prognoses. Development of a new test or a panel of them for early identification will improve outcome. Equally importantly, setting up a practical strategy for screening of pancreatic cancer. There is no consensus on who, how and when to screen and this subject needs to be addressed.
Poor response to treatment is another head ache in pancreatic cancer and finding predictive markers will improve response and reduce the unnecessary exposure to side effects of treatments whether chemo- or radiotherapy.
This Research topic will accept publications primarily on, but not limited to, the following:
1-Advances in pancreatic cancer screening, especially in those with inherited and familial tendencies with special focus on molecular and genetic tools.
2-Understanding of molecular pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.
3- Latest methods in early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with advances on molecular biomarkers.
4- Pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics of treatments for pancreatic cancer
5- Gene therapy in pancreatic cancer.
Bioinformatic studies are welcome, however, these should not be based solely on analysis of publicly available datasets such as TCGA. It is essential to have an independent validation cohort for statistically significant confirmation of the findings communicated.
