Evaluation of Cell Migration Inducing Protein (CEMIP) in Diagnosis of Pancreatic Carcinoma in Comparison With Other Traditional Markers

Pancreas is an important retroperitoneal organ with exocrine and endocrine functions. Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal diseases among all cancer types. It moved from the fourth to the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and is anticipated to become the second around 2020. It accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the United State and about 7% of all cancer deaths.

The estimated number of PC cases in Egypt in 2013 was 2,226, and it is projected to increase and be 2,836 and 6,883 in 2020 and 2050 respectively. The overall age-adjusted PC mortality rate in Egypt was 1.47/100,000 population and analysis of the regional distribution showed significant variations in rates among provinces with Northern provinces having higher rates than Southern regions.

The asymptomatic nature of early PC, the lack of sensitive and specific tools to diagnose early disease, and the lack of response to most forms of treatment all contribute to the high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer. This poor outcome could be largely due to the late diagnosis. The expression profiles of PC had been widely studied, revealing several molecular factors affecting various aspects of PC.

Tumors of pancreas are divided into: Non-endocrine tumors which maybe benign or malignant and endocrine tumors.

The diagnosis of PC is usually based on radiology [computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] or invasive endoscopic techniques [ultrasound endoscopy-fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and explorative laparoscopy. Imaging diagnosis method is a normal method for clinical tumor diagnosis. But due to the various defects of the image device, it is usually to combine several kinds of technologies for diagnosis. Moreover because of the low sensitivity and specificity, the methods are often used in the diagnosis of high risk groups, rather than early detection. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop new methods for early diagnosis of cancer.