Endoscopic ultrasound staging and novel therapeutics for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains a challenging disease, being the fourth leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. Patients with pancreatic cancer present with symptoms including jaundice, pruritus, and weight loss, which often herald advanced disease with little chance for curative resection. Multiple imaging modalities are used to diagnose and stage pancreatic cancer. This article discusses the utility of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for diagnosis and staging, and introduces novel EUS-guided therapeutic options for the treatment of pancreatic cancers. EUS-guided fine-needle injection of chemotherapy agents is a promising development in pancreatic tumor treatment.