Early Inflammatory Signatures of IPMN Progression

Introduction

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal cancer with rising global incidence and poor survival rates. Early PDAC diagnosis is hampered by non-specific symptoms and by the absence of reliable early biomarkers.

Background

On the other hand, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), precursor lesions of PDAC, are commonly found during abdominal imaging. IPMN management lacks consensus, leading to inefficient decisions on empirical assessments of high-risk stigmata (HRS) and worrisome features (WF).

Need for Classification

There is an urgent need for precise IPMN patient classification to guide personalized treatment decisions, reducing unnecessary surgeries and late interventions.

Project Overview

Our ERC-StG project identified a gene signature marking pre-neoplastic cells in PDAC precursor lesions. We propose testing this signature as a biomarker for PDAC in IPMN patients, to distinguish those at high-risk or low-risk of progressing to invasive carcinoma.

Benefits of Validation

Successful validation of the signature as a biomarker holds benefits for clinical management of IPMN patients, mitigating the economic and societal consequences of over-treatment and under-treatment.

Goals

At the same time, these activities should advance early detection in pancreatic cancer. Our multidisciplinary approach and groundbreaking discoveries put us in the best position to tackle this key challenge in immuno-oncology.