Pathological Changes in Pancreatic Carcinogenesis: A Review
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Oncogene Expression Analysis with Alterations in pH in a Pancreatic Ductal Cell Line
Published on: April 11, 2025
Keiko Yamakawa1, Juanjuan Ye1, Yuko Nakano-Narusawa1
1Oncology Pathology, Department of Pathology and Host-Defense, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan.
Abstract:
Despite advances in diagnostics and therapeutics, the prognosis of pancreatic cancer remains dismal. Because of a lack of early diagnostic methods, aggressive local progression, and high incidence of distant metastasis, most pancreatic cancers are inoperable; therefore, the characteristics of early pancreatic cancer have not been well understood. Autopsy studies revealed the characteristics of prediagnostic pancreatic malignancies, including precancerous lesions, early stage pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic cancer without clinical symptoms (occult cancers). Animal models using hamsters and genetically engineered mice have focused on mechanisms of carcinogenesis, thereby providing insights into risk factors and prevention and serving as a preclinical test for the development of novel diagnostic and treatment modalities. In this review, we have summarized pathological changes in the pancreas of humans and experimental animals during carcinogenesis.
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