Validation of Biomarkers for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer: Summary of the Alliance of Pancreatic Cancer Consortia for Biomarkers for Early Detection Workshop

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and the 5-year relative survival for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is less than 10%. Early intervention is the key to a better survival outcome. Currently, there are no biomarkers that can reliably detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage or identify precursors that are destined to progress to malignancy. The National Cancer Institute in partnership with the Kenner Family Research Fund and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network convened a Data Jamboree on Biomarkers workshop on December 5, 2016, to discuss and evaluate existing or newly developed biomarkers and imaging methods for early detection of pancreatic cancer. The primary goal of this workshop was to determine if there are any promising biomarkers for early detection of pancreatic cancer that are ready for clinical validation. The Alliance of Pancreatic Cancer Consortia for Biomarkers for Early Detection, formed under the auspices of this workshop, will provide the common platform and the resources necessary for validation. Although none of the biomarkers evaluated seemed ready for a large-scale biomarker validation trial, a number of them had sufficiently high sensitivity and specificity to warrant additional research, especially if combined with other biomarkers to form a panel.