Pancreatic cancer diagnosis using simple endoscopic procedure

Date: Jun-10-2014Although pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the US, it is the fourth

most common cause of cancer deaths, because 9 in 10 cases are only diagnosed after the cancer has

spread and there is no effective treatment. Now, a promising pilot study that tested an endoscope

with an oxygen sensor raises hope that the deadly disease may be detected earlier via a simple

procedure.

Writing in the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in

Florida describe how they tested the ability of the device to recognize pancreatic cancer.

In two small groups of patients - 14 patients already diagnosed with the disease, and another

10 who were disease-free - the device showed a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 86% in

detecting pancreatic cancer.

This suggests the procedure would find 92% of patients with the disease and would rule out 86%

of patients without the disease.

The device is an endoscope - a thin, long, flexible tube with a light and a camera - that also

has a blood oxygen sensor attached to it, like the fingerclip sensor used to measure blood oxygen

in patients.

Sensor measures changes in blood flow in nearby tissue

The device measures changes in blood flow in the tissues near the pancreas. It works on the

idea that tumors alter blood flow in surrounding tissue as they demand more oxygen to fuel their

growth.

To take a measurement, the endoscope is passed into the stomach and duodenum, which is right

next to the pancreas.

Senior investigator and gastroenterologist Michael Wallace, a professor of Medicine at the

Mayo Clinic, says the only way to accurately test pancreatic cancer at an early stage is to remove some

of the organ, and adds: "We need new ways to detect pancreatic cancer effectively, and simply, as

early as possible."

He says although theirs is just a small pilot study, "the outcome is very promising," and they

are confident they can confirm the results in a much larger study in patients in the US and

Europe.

Different approach to detecting cancer

He notes their method is quite different to how cancer is normally detected - primarily because

they are not trying to sense changes in the tumor but in nearby tissue that appears normal.

"It relies on a principle now being increasingly acknowledged, called a cancer field effect,"

he explains. "Instead of looking for the needle in the haystack, we now look at the haystack to

see how it is different when there's a needle inside."

Prof. Wallace explains their findings in the video below:

The team is also testing the effectiveness of the device in detecting esophageal and colon

cancers.

The National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, plus the Mayo Clinic

Foundation for Medical Education and Research helped fund the study.

In March 2013, Medical News Today reported how researchers in Japan are also developing a

new, faster way to diagnose

pancreatic cancer early using metabolomic analysis. When they validated the method, it showed

a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 78.1%.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.