[Current status of pancreatic cancer diagnosis]

Pancreatic cancer still remains one of the tumors with the worst prognosis. The five-year survival rate ranges between 0.4 to 2 per cent. In most cases the tumor is diagnosed at an advanced stage, which does not allow a radical surgical treatment. Currently, the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is based on dynamically developing imaging methods that allow detecting even small lesions. The basic testing method is the contrast computed tomography which is, in most cases, linked up to the endoscopic ultrasonography. In most patients results of the cytopathological and histological examinations are obtained before surgical or oncological therapy. The decisive factor for further therapeutic approach is the tumor staging. Despite the apparent progress in diagnostic techniques, the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer remains unsatisfactory.