Pancreatic Cancer

This book aims to provide an update in the current state of play in pancreatic cancer diagnosis and to evaluate the benefits and limitations of the available diagnostic technology and therapy.

This book provides an overview of the current challenges and states of pancreatic cancer and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including information on diagnostic tools, treatment strategies, and mechanisms of pancreatic cancer therapy resistance.

Worldwide, there are an estimated 232, 000 new cases of pancreatic cancer annually. In the United States, it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death, and approximately 30,000 people die of pancreatic cancer each year. The disease is difficult to diagnose in its early stages, and most patients have incurable disease by the time they present with symptoms. The overall 5-year survival rate for this disease is less than 5%.

This book provides the reader with an overall understanding of the biology of pancreatic cancer, hereditary, complex signaling pathways and alternative therapies. The book explains nutrigenomics and epigenetics mechanisms such as DNA methylation, which may explain the etiology or progression of pancreatic cancer. Book also summarizes the molecular control of oncogenic pathways such as K-Ras and KLF4.

This book covers pancreatic cancer risk factors, treatment and clinical procedures. It provides an outline of pancreatic cancer genetic risk factors, biomarkers and systems biology for the better understanding of disease. As pancreatic cancer suffers from lack of early diagnosis or prognosis markers, this book encompasses stem cell and genetic makers to identify the disease in early stages. The book uncovers the rationale and effectiveness of monotherapy and combination therapy in combating the devastating disease.

This book is designed to present a comprehensive understanding for the rationale of neoadjuvant treatment sequencing for localized pancreatic cancer and to focus on accurate clinical staging and stage-specific treatment sequencing. Sections address important aspects of clinical management of localized pancreatic cancer from diagnosis to surgery. These areas include initial radiographic staging, management of obstructive jaundice, role of chemotherapy and chemoradiation in neoadjuvant therapy, assessment of treatment response, and operative considerations for complex vascular resections. A brief review of suggested readings addressing the particular topic follows in each section, as well as a summary of clinical “pearls”.