Pancreatic Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pancreatic Cancer, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, information.

Identification of high-risk pancreatic cancer-prone families.

Brand RE, Lynch HT

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, 2100 Pfingston Road, B230, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. rbrand@enth.org

Pancreatic cancer-prone families provide a unique resource for studying the etiology, natural history, genetics, and treatment of pancreatic cancer. The only effective way of identifying these families is by obtaining a complete family history, since it is not possible to differentiate sporadic pancreatic cancer cases from hereditary cases based on either clinical presentation or features. These families also would benefit greatly from early detection or prevention strategies. Ultimately, this knowledge could be applied to the more common sporadic form of pancreatic cancer, where diagnosis is almost always late, and prognosis remains quite grim.

Published 5 November 2004 in Gastroenterol Clin North Am, 33(4): 907-18.
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