Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. However, PDAC is only the ninth most prevalent cancer, underscoring the grim prognosis in this disease. Indeed, early diagnosis in this disease has been an abject failure, as more than 80% of all patients are diagnosed with either locally advanced or distant metastatic disease, precluding surgical resection. In this brief discussion, the problem of early diagnosis will be contextualized with attention to factors specific to the biology of PDAC that have made this particularly challenging. Finally, strategies utilizing novel bench-to-bedside approaches to identify novel biomarkers and diagnostic strategies, including the measured use of genetically engineered mouse models, will be highlighted.

Citation Format: Andrew D. Rhim. Pancreatic cancer: Deriving a model of prevention. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr CN04-02.

©2013 American Association for Cancer Research.
2013