GASTROENTEROLOGY ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
September 16, 2010
Hidalgo, M. Pancreatic Cancer. N Engl J Med 2010;362:1605-1617.
1. Among patient with pancreatic cancer, the most genetic defects encountered > 90% are
a. KRAS2 oncogene
b. Inactivation of CDKN2A
c. TP53 abnormality
d. DPC4 loss
e. microsatellite instability
True or False
2. Pancreatic cancer that involve major abdominal arteries are non-resectable, but involvement of the splenic or portal vein is not an absolute contraindication to resection
3. Pancreatic cancer originates from the secretory cells of the acinus
4. A patient with KRAS2 positive pancreatic cancer that is metastatic is not likely to benefit from erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor
5. High levels of CA 19-9 carry a worse postoperative prognosis
6. EUS is the preferred initial diagnostic tool for characterizing pancreatic cancer
7. CA 19-9 cannot be secreted by 10% of the population who are Lewis antigen negative
8. Fully resected early pancreatic cancers should be treated with postoperative chemotherapy to improve disease-free survival