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Pancreatic cancer, which killed Steve Jobs, is hard to spot. Biomarkers may change that
- Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to detect. A study shows monitoring bodily changes might aid in that and increase survival rates
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Pancreatic cancer is a formidable disease, often diagnosed too late for effective treatment.
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However, new research from the US-based Mayo Clinic represents a promising step towards identifying biological signals, or biomarkers, that may aid in early detection.
By tracking changes in body composition and metabolism, researchers are working to identify high-risk patients who could benefit from selective screening for the disease, which kills more than 467,400 people globally each year. (In Hong Kong, 889 people died from it in 2021, accounting for 5.9 per cent of all cancer deaths.)
Pancreatic cancer claimed the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011.
“When most patients come to us with pancreatic cancer, their cancer has already spread and their survival over a five-year period is only three per cent. But if we catch them early, at stage 1A, their five-year survival rate can be as high as 80 per cent,” says Dr Yan Bi, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in the US state of Florida.
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“Detecting the cancer earlier is the best way to improve survival.”
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