We are pleased to provide this contribution to Current Problems in Cancer, focusing on pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This particular tumor is widely (and appropriately) considered one of the more deadly of all human cancers. All contributors to this monograph come from The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, and in particular all are members of the Pancreas Cancer Interdisciplinary Working Group. This Group was founded in 1991, meets bimonthly, and has promoted the dissemination of results and data, the development of numerous ideas for grants (both intramural and extramural), and the implementation of many clinical protocols, all in a scientifically exciting and collegial atmosphere.
There has been considerable progress made in basic and clinical science, as it pertains to pancreatic cancer, since our last Current Problems publication in 1999.1 Much of the material in this monograph is new or extensively altered from our previous work. For example, Theresa Yeo and Ralph Hruban have contributed a section dealing with epidemiology and risk factors, outlining recent developments. Steve Leach has nicely summarized recent work with the developmental aspects of pancreatic carcinogenesis. Rob Wilentz and Ralph Hruban have discussed pathology, most notably issues of precursor lesions and similar but distinct tumors (mucinous neoplasms, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, etc). Taylor Sohn and Scott Kern have provided a short review of molecular genetics, and Christine Iacobuzio-Donohue and Anirban Maitra present very recent data on gene expression profiling. The important new topic of screening and early detection is discussed by Michael Goggins and Mimi Canto.
Next, the issues of staging, diagnosis, and intervention (both palliative and resectional) are discussed, with the areas being modified and updated from the work of Yeo and Cameron in 1999.1 Although much material has been retained, some material has been abridged or deleted, and new material has been added.
The final 3 sections of the monograph deal with nonsurgical therapies. Dan Laheru and Ross Abrams summarize the current state of knowledge with regard to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Next, Dan Laheru and Elizabeth Jaffee discuss the exciting role of immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer. Finally, Manuel Hildalgo gives an overview of small molecule therapy as it applies to pancreatic cancer.
It is our pleasure to provide this material for this issue of Current Problems in Cancer. I thank all of my coauthors for generously and in a timely fashion providing me with their contributions, to merge into this one monograph. Each of their separate contributions are superb. Any oversight errors or editorial problems are mine.
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