Journal de cytologie et d'histologie

Shall we Sample Every Pancreatic Mass?

Abstract

Jean Louis Frossard

Sampling every pancreatic mass is debated but most observers believe that it should be mandatory for several reasons. Even if the vast majority of pancreatic masses consist of adenocarcinoma, 15% of them are of other origin and require their own specific therapy. Moreover, the progressive implementation of personalized medicine will allow offering the best therapeutic approach to any patient. Indeed, sampling any pancreatic mass can help determine the whole nature of the tumor (genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) and thus permit to give the appropriate therapy only to patients that will certainly benefit from it.