Mice Model a Silent Killer

EARLY LESIONS:© 2003 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory PressEarly stage pancreatic lesions in Pdx1-Cre; LSL-Kras; Ink/Arflox/lox animals. (A) A low-grade PanIN lesion. (B) A low-grade preinvasive ductal lesion. (C) A high-grade preinvasive ductal lesion. (D) Early focus of pancreatic adenocarci-noma with both ductal and anaplastic components. (E) A high-grade PanIN lesion with no adenocarcinoma foci. (F) A high-grade PanIN lesion (asterisk) surrounded by anaplastic tumor cells.Aquiet killer, pa

Written byAileen Constans
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© 2003 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

Early stage pancreatic lesions in Pdx1-Cre; LSL-Kras; Ink/Arflox/lox animals. (A) A low-grade PanIN lesion. (B) A low-grade preinvasive ductal lesion. (C) A high-grade preinvasive ductal lesion. (D) Early focus of pancreatic adenocarci-noma with both ductal and anaplastic components. (E) A high-grade PanIN lesion with no adenocarcinoma foci. (F) A high-grade PanIN lesion (asterisk) surrounded by anaplastic tumor cells.

Aquiet killer, pancreatic cancer often eludes detection until it has progressed to late-stage metastatic disease. This is largely due to the organ's location in the body, which makes it difficult for physicians to evaluate. "You can't feel it with your hands, you can't palpitate it on an examination. There is no pap smear or mammogram for the pancreas, or PSA test. ... So when people present with pancreatic cancer, usually their symptoms are very nonspecific," says David Tuveson, assistant professor of hematology and oncology at ...

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