John Chabot, MD, chief, division of GI/Endocrine Surgery, executive director, Pancreas Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, explains that the goal of pancreatic research is to find a molecule marker that will easily and predictably identify pancreatic cancer at an early stage.

The marker CA19-9 is valuable in following people with an established diagnosis, but it is not very specific. Many issues, even benign issues, will lead to an abnormal CA19-9 test. At the current time Chabot feels that family history is the best indicator of a possible issue in pancreatic cancer.