Proteomic profiling of serum in patients with pancreatic cystic lesions identifies novel biomarkers of pancreatic cancer risk

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) has the worst 5-year survival rate of any cancer as of 2024, at just 13%. The late-stage diagnosis of these patients limits their treatment options, further compounding the problem. Early detection of PC, therefore, is the primary concern of most PC research, as it has the potential to make a substantial difference to the treatment and survival of these patients. Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are fluid-filled sacs, on or inside the pancreas, that have the potential to become premalignant. While some PCLs are completely benign, others have been shown to have malignant potential and could therefore play a role in the progression to PC. Using the 2018 European evidence-based guidelines for pancreatic cystic neoplasms, patients were classified as being either at a low- or high-risk of PC development. In this study, we profile the proteome of serum from low-risk (n=45) and high-risk (n=23) patients with PCLs and identify differentially expressed proteins between these two risk classifications. We show that these serum-based differentially expressed proteins have potential utility as biomarkers of risk stratification in this setting.