The concept of liquid biopsy refers to a minimally invasive sampling and analysis of liquid biomarkers that can be isolated from body fluids, primarily blood, urine and saliva. Biomarkers with the potential to identify pre-neoplastic disease or very early stages of cancer are of great promise to improve patient survival. These observations hint at the possibility that the initial mutation in PC might appear nearly 20 years before any symptoms occur, suggesting that a large window of opportunity may exist for early detection. Recent whole-genome sequencing studies pointed genetic alterations in 12 core signaling pathways in PC. The most effective possibility of cure is tumor resection, which is only possible in about 15% of patients diagnosed at early stages of disease progression. Pancreatic cancer (PC) is associated with poor prognosis and very dismal survival rates. 4Institute of Pathology and Molecular Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.3Institute for Research Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.2Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

1Department of Gastroenterology, Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal.Pedro Moutinho-Ribeiro 1,2, Guilherme Macedo 1,2 * and Sónia A.

Download diagnosing pancreatic cancer