Cancer Treatment Today

Even when diagnosed early, pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis. Surgery is commonly performed as a cautious approach to treat a suspicious cyst. However surgery comes with risks, including life-long patient morbidities and even mortality.

Recent research has shown that the risk of malignancy in cysts is lower than previously thought. Treatment plans are evolving from surgery to watchful waiting in recognition that many cysts are benign and will remain benign.

Recent studies have shown that up to 80% of surgeries reveal indolent cysts that didn’t necessarily require surgery.^5,6

Today’s standard of care – imaging, CEA, Amylase, Cytology, and patient risk factors – does provide the full picture about the risk of malignancy of a pancreatic cyst.

In an attempt to resolve some of these issues, Interspace Diagnostic developed a test, Pancragene to assess malignancy potential.

Long-term follow-up outcomes data of patients (up to 8 years) from theNational Pancreatic Cyst Registry supports PancraGEN’s ability to help accurately inform surgery and surveillance decisions of patients.

In a study of the National Pancreatic Cyst Registry, PancraGEN’s recommendation of surveillance was correct in 97% of patients. In fact, PancraGEN diagnoses were more beneficial to overall patient outcomes than sole reliance on International Consensus Guidelines (ICG) criteria.

^{At this time, it remains a proprietary test that is not being recommended by any guidelines or professional association.}

1. Al-Haddad MA, Kowalski T, Siddiqui A, et al. Integrated molecular pathology accurately determines the malignant potential of pancreatic cysts. Endoscopy. 2015;47(2):136-146.
2. V. Chernyak et al, Incidental pancreatic cystic lesions Radiology 2015 274 161-9
3. BU Wu, et al, Prediction of malignancy in cystic neoplasms of the pancreas: a population based cohort study, Am J Gastro 2014 109 121-9
4. Loren D, Kowalski T, Siddiqui A, et al. Influence of integrated molecular pathology test results on real-world management decisions for patients with pancreatic cysts: analysis of data from a national registry cohort. Diagnostic Pathology. 2016;11:5. doi:10.1186/s13000-016-0462-x.
5. Gaujoux S., , Brennan, M., et al. Cystic Lesions of the Pancreas: Changes in the Presentation and Management of 1,424 Patients at a Single Institution over a 15-year Time Period. J Am Coll Surg. 2011 April; 212(4): doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2011.01.016.
6. Kaimalkliotis, P., Riff, B., et al. Sendai and Fukuoka Consensus Guidelines Identify Advanced Neoplasia in Patients With Suspected Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2015;13:1808–1815: doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2015.03.017