Ductal Adenocarcinoma

ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common malignancy of the pancreas. PDAC is an aggressive and difficult malignancy to treat. Complete surgical removal of the tumor remains the only chance for a cure, however, 80-90% of patients have a disease that is surgically incurable at the time of clinical presentation (15). Despite our advancing knowledge of the tumor biology of PDAC, improvement in diagnosis and management, and the rise of centers specialized in the care of patients with PDAC, the prognosis remains strikingly poor (4,17). The following overview will discuss the epidemiology and tumor biology of PDAC, as well as important information for patients and family including diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.  This overview will not discuss cancer that arises in cystic lesions of the pancreas, nor will it discuss pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, as these variants have different biology and prognosis.