[Latest advances in pancreatic tumours]

Pancreatic cancer continues to have an extremely poor prognosis. There have been hardly any therapeutic advances in the last few years and consequently attention is focussed on early diagnosis. In this regard, endoscopic ultrasonography and several associated techniques, such as electrography or the use of intravenous contrast agents, continue to be the cornerstone of differential diagnosis. In the latest Digestive Diseases Week, numerous presentations were made on cystic pancreatic tumours, especially intraductal papillary mucinous tumours, with their well-known potential for malignant transformation. In addition to the problems of the preoperative characterization of these entities, by both endoscopic ultrasound cytological evaluation--even with the presence of an on-site pathologist--and by intracystic markers, the role of other techniques was also mentioned, such as confocal laser endomicroscopy or the use of intravenous contrast agents to characterize the wall nodule. There were numerous studies on the natural history of intraductal papillary mucinous tumours, which mainly supported the increasingly conservative approach adopted by the recent Fukuoka international guidelines. Certain aspects were highlighted, such as comorbidities, when considering surgery, or the growth rate of the tumour. In treatment, endoscopic ultrasound-guided injection of gemcitabine and paclitaxel, without the need for alcohol as an ablative treatment of mucinous cystic tumours, is gaining ground in specific cases.