Volume 29, Issue 163, September 2025

Update on chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer - A review

Gutowska Marika^1♦, Ciechanowicz Julia², Ciechanowicz Stanisław³, Dura Julia⁴, Kupidłowski Piotr⁵, Nowacka Agata⁶, Perzanowska Adrianna⁷, Przybylska Aleksandra⁸, Tomaszewska Zuzanna⁹, Zielińska Anna¹⁰

¹Józef Struś Multi-Specialist Municipal Hospital, Szwajcarska 3, 61- 285, Poznań, Poland
²University Clinical Hospital in Poznan, 1/2 Dluga Street, 61-848 Poznan
³University Clinical Hospital in Poznan, 1/2 Dluga Street, 61-848 Poznan
⁴The Provincial Hospital in Poznan, Juraszów 7/19, 60-479 Poznań, poland
⁵Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 70 Bukowska Street, 60-812 Poznan, poland
⁶Józef Struś Multi-Specialist Municipal Hospital, Szwajcarska 3, 61- 285, Poznań, Poland
⁷Praski Hospital in Warsaw, 67 Solidarności Avenue, 03-401 Warsaw, Poland
⁸Józef Struś Multi-Specialist Municipal Hospital, Szwajcarska 3, 61- 285, Poznań, Poland
⁹Praski Hospital in Warsaw, 67 Solidarności Avenue, 03-401 Warsaw, Poland
¹⁰Czerniakowski Hospital, Stępińska 19/25, 00-739 Warsaw, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Marika Gutowska Józef Struś Multi-Specialist Municipal Hospital, Szwajcarska 3, 61-285, Poznań, Poland

ABSTRACT

Background: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a pathological fibro-inflammatory disorder. Pancreatic cancer (PC) is known to be one of the most deadly types of cancer, and its early detection remains difficult. The most common PC is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Patients with CP have a higher risk of PDAC. Differentiation of CP from PDAC can be challenging. Objectives: To summarize recent findings on the CP-PC relationship, risk factors, biomarkers, and potential therapies. Materials and methods: Articles from the PubMed database, primarily published from 2024/5/1 to 2025/5/31. Chronic pancreatitis and cancer: Pitavastatin suppresses cancer-prone chronic inflammation, reducing the risk of CP and PC. Nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) may be a potential druggable target in PDAC resistant to KRAS therapy. Human rhomboid family-1 (RHBDF1) could be a viable target for the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage PC. Leptin may serve as a biomarker to distinguish PC from CP. Liquid assays using the in situ-proven ExmiR- 4516 may have the potential for detecting relatively early-stage PDAC and monitoring its clinical course. An autoantibody (AAb) panel (CEACAM1-DPPA2- DPPA3-MAGEA4-SRC-TPBG-XAGE3) may potentially serve as a PDAC diagnostic test. Conclusion: This review offers essential insights into the relationship between PDAC and CP.

Keywords: chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, potential biomarkers

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e173ms3647

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i163.e173ms3647

Published: 21 September 2025