Low Sensitivity of the<i>ki-ras</i>Polymerase Chain Reaction for Diagnosing Pancreatic Cancer From Pancreatic Juice and Bile: A Multicenter Prospective Trial

Abstract

In this prospective trial performed in nonselected patients, mutations of the ki-ras gene were detected in 38.1% of cases with pancreatic cancer. This test in its present form is not appropriate to confirm or screen for pancreatic cancer. More sensitive and/or quantitative PCR tests may improve the molecular diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.