Molecular diagnostics of pancreatic cysts

Due to an extensive use of modern imaging, incidental pancreatic cysts are increasingly diagnosed these days. Fortunately, comprehensive research over the past years has remarkably improved our pathogenetic and clinical understanding of pancreatic cysts that, as we know, are in majority harmless. However, mucinous cysts including intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, mucinous cystic neoplasms, as well as solid pseudopapillary neoplasms harbor relevant potential for developing into a lethal invasive cancer and may therefore require immediate surgical resection or at least close surveillance. In order to allow an optimized clinical management, it is crucial to gather reliable information about entity as well as biologic behavior of every cyst detected. Unfortunately, in the absence of reliable biomarkers and by just applying currently available diagnostic means such as clinical and radiologic criteria or cyst fluid cytology, there is still a risk for incorrect preoperative diagnoses. This may be followed by inappropriate treatment possibly resulting in severe morbidity or even mortality.

In this review article, we summarize some of the salient recent advances in molecular diagnostics of pancreatic cysts. Herein, we put particular focus on the emerging field of biomarker research in pancreatic cyst fluid based on protein, DNA, and microRNA analyses.