Pancreatic Cancer Found in Stool Samples

Pancreatic cancer may be detected in stool samples is a study published in the journal Gut. This research, led by scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), identified a molecular signature of 27 microbial species in stool samples. These microbes can distinguish between people without cancer and those with both early and advanced stages of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

The study involved 136 participants: 57 with pancreatic cancer (including both early and advanced stages), 50 healthy controls, and 29 with chronic pancreatitis. Researchers found that the presence and abundance of certain microorganisms in stool samples were strongly linked to pancreatic cancer. Using advanced biostatistical and bioinformatics analyses, they developed a classifier based on these 27 microbes that identified cancer cases with high accuracy—84% accuracy using microbiome data alone, and up to 94% when combined with the blood biomarker CA 19-9.

This research suggests that a non-invasive, cost-effective screening test could be developed to detect pancreatic cancer earlier than current methods allow. A patent has been filed for a diagnostic kit based on this microbial signature. Experts believe this approach could significantly improve early diagnosis rates and survival outcomes for pancreatic cancer, which is often detected too late for effective treatment.