Pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality rates have continued to increase, according to the American Cancer Society’s 2025 cancer statistics report.
Here are four notes from the study:
- Researchers from Portland-based Oregon Health and Science University developed the test called PAC-MANN, short for protease activity-based assay using a magnetic nanosensor.
- The test takes 8 microliters of blood and provides a fluorescent readout within 45 minutes, according to a Feb. 12 news release from OHSU.
- Researchers created the test using blood samples of 350 patients from OHSU’s Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care and the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center.
The samples were used to identify specific proteins found only in the samples of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common and deadly form of pancreatic cancer.
- The test was able to distinguish patients with pancreatic cancer from healthy patients and those with non-cancerous pancreatic issues 98% of the time, the release said.
The test was also able to measure protein levels, which researchers said could help physicians determine treatment efficacy.
Read the full study here.
