Ananya Das, MD, FASGE, highlights this article from the January issue “Performance characteristics of molecular (DNA) analysis for the diagnosis of mucinous pancreatic cysts” by  Mohammad Al-Haddad, MBBS, MSc, FASGE, John DeWitt, MD, FASGE, Stuart Sherman, MD, FASGE, C. Max Schmidt, MD, PhD, Julia K. LeBlanc, MD, MPH, Lee McHenry, MD, Gregory Coté, MD, MS, Abdul Hamid El Chafic, MD, Leticia Luz, MD, Jennifer Schaffter Stuart, BS, Cynthia S. Johnson, MA, Christen Klochan, MD, and Thomas F. Imperiale, MD.

This is a contemporary article evaluating the role of molecular analysis in the diagnostic algorithm of pancreatic cystic neoplasm, which is a very common clinical issue faced by gastroenterologists.

Although a single center study, it attempts to objectively clarify the role of molecular analysis in the management of pancreatic cystic neoplasm.

Figure 4. An asymptomatic patient with a small 1.4-cm uncinate cyst with negative molecular analysis and a carcinoembryonic antigen level of 78.4 ng/mL. This patient continues to be surveyed with yearly magnetic resonance imaging. CBD, common bile duct; PD, pancreatic duct.

Molecular analysis may have a secondary role in the diagnosis of pancreatic cystic neoplasm when cytology is non-diagnostic (which is usual), cyst fluid is insufficient for CEA, or its level is indeterminate.

Find this article on page 79-87 of the print journal or read the abstract online.

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