Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer in many countries. This aggressive malignancy must thus be regarded as a common disease, but one that is extremely difficult to treat. Considering the depressing fact that only around 5% of patients are curable through surgery at the time of diagnosis, much remains to be done in clinical research. But there is promise arising on the horizon as the understanding of molecular and biological mechanisms progresses with the results awaiting translation into clinical effectiveness. This publication, which is wholly dedicated to pancreatic cancer, presents an overview on all important aspects of the disease. The topics of the reviews range from epidemiology, pathology, imaging, surgery and palliative treatment to the prevention of pancreatic cancer. The original paper presents the illuminating results from a study which investigated the factors and laboratory parameters determining survival in pancreatic carcinoma as well as the possibility of using this specific data as prognostic parameters for an early diagnosis of the disease. Professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer will appreciate this compact educational update.
