Expression data from peripheral blood in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients

The presence of some malignancies, such as cancer, impacts on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) gene expression profiling, suggesting the potential suitability of these genes as diagnostic and prognostic markers. The objective of this study was to identify new markers in peripheral blood that differentiate between PDAC patients and healthy controls as a means of facilitating fast detection of the disease. 18 patients with unresectable PDAC were recruited. The diagnosis of PDAC was based on clinical evaluation and imaging studies, which were histologically confirmed by surgery or imaging-guided biopsy. 18 gender, age, and habits matched healthy controls were also included. Whole genome cDNA microarray hybridization of PBMC samples was performed to identify potential PDAC markers.