Prospective trial for early detection of pancreatic cancer by elevated serum immunoreactive elastase.

Early detection of pancreatic cancer was prospectively evaluated by measuring serum immunoreactive elastase (IRE) in 722 patients in two hospitals during the past 18 months. Patients included in the study were over 40 years of age and had symptoms suggestive of pancreatic disease such as upper abdominal pain, discomfort or mass, jaundice, weight loss, or diabetes. Among the 722 patients, 171 exhibited elevation of serum IRE. Pancreatic diseases were subsequently found in 42% of the 171 patients. Pancreatic cancer was found in 22 patients, among which 17 had elevated serum IRE. Among the 17 pancreatic cancer patients with elevated IRE, 10 underwent radical resection of the cancer but in none of the five patients with normal serum IRE could radical resection be carried out. Three of the 10 patients had a small cancer less than 2 cm in diameter and two of them survived for more than three years. Patients over 40 or 45 years of age complaining of upper abdominal pain of recent onset that cannot be explained by diseases other than that of the pancreas would be candidates for measurement of serum elastase, and this is an effective way to detect pancreatic cancer at an early stages.