Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers despite the recent improvements in its diagnosis and management. Surgical resection remains the main therapeutic strategy upon feasibility. A careful and thorough examination of tissue specimens at macroscopic and microscopic levels in a pathology laboratory is warranted for cancer diagnosis and classification, margin status evaluation, and tumor staging. PDACs include multiple histological subtypes/variants in addition to the conventional one with shared or distinctive immunohistochemical phenotypes and molecular bases. Cytopathology sample collection through fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with or without core needle biopsies and subsequent cytological evaluation is an extremely valuable technique widely used to diagnose and characterize the tumor with a minimal risk to patients. Identifying variable precursor lesions of PDAC is helpful in understanding tumor biology, stratifying cancer risk, and predicting prognosis. Molecular genetic profiling of the precursor lesions and invasive carcinoma has been playing a vital role in early detection and appropriate management of the tumor.
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Yang, X., Jones, K., Chen, G. (2022). Pathology of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. In: Doria, C., Rogart, J.N. (eds) Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Malignancies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41683-6_30
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