Current diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a tumor characterized by a very poor prognosis and increasing global incidence. Environmental factors have been identified among the various causes of pancreatic cancer, while about 10-15% of presenting patients show a genetic predisposition towards the disease. This paper presents the current insight into the etiology and pathogenesis of cancer, as well as the principles of diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Neoadjuvant and complementary systemic treatment, as well as the principles of palliative treatment, are widely discussed. Advances in the radicalization of surgical treatment, the new options to treat post-operative complications, as well as advances in chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer have hitherto failed to dramatically improve the prognosis, even at the local stage. A breakthrough in pancreatic cancer research is still awaited.