Blood test may detect pancreatic cancer before it is too late

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most dangerous forms of cancer because it is often difficult to detect in its early stages. In Japan, the five-year survival rate was just 8.5% between 2009 and 2011, according to data from the National Cancer Center.

Surgery following early diagnosis remains the only treatment with the potential to achieve a cure. However, most patients are diagnosed only after the disease has reached an advanced stage, while early-stage cases account for just 2% to 3% of all diagnoses.

To address this challenge, a research team led by Dr. Yamashita at Kanazawa University developed a diagnostic test called Panregza. The test combines analysis of gene expression patterns in whole blood with measurement of the tumor marker CA19-9.

The test had previously demonstrated effectiveness in diagnosing advanced pancreatic cancer. In the new study, however, researchers examined whether it could detect the disease at stages 0 and 1, when the chances of successful treatment are significantly higher.

The study analyzed data from 10 patients diagnosed with stage 0 or stage 1 pancreatic cancer, out of a total of 253 patients, and compared the findings with data from 104 healthy individuals.

Researchers evaluated three approaches: blood gene expression analysis, the CA19-9 test and the combined Panregza test.

Gene expression analysis proved to be the most accurate method, detecting nine out of 10 cases, for an accuracy rate of 90%. By comparison, the CA19-9 test detected only one case, with an accuracy rate of 10%.

The combined Panregza test detected 60% of the cancer cases, while achieving a 93.3% rate in correctly ruling out the disease in people without cancer.

The researchers said the findings suggest that genetic changes associated with pancreatic cancer can be detected in the blood even when the tumor is very small and before CA19-9 levels rise. This makes gene expression analysis a promising tool for the early detection of the disease.

The findings are also supported by data from the Innovative Research and Development Center for Pancreatic Cancer at Kanazawa University Hospital. The data showed five-year survival rates of 100% among patients diagnosed at stage 0 and 74.4% among those diagnosed at stage 1, underscoring the critical importance of early detection.

The researchers explained that most of the cells analyzed in the blood are immune cells and that the presence of a tumor appears to alter their gene activity even during the early stages of the disease.

This suggests that the new test could help detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage, including in patients whose conventional test results appear normal, without relying on the size of the tumor.