Two blood tumor markers sort pancreatic cancer outcomes

After chemotherapy, patients whose two markers both stayed high had the worst survival after surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

• Only 4 of 39 patients had both markers still high after chemotherapy.
• Five-year survival in that group was 0%, versus 44.3% when both markers were normal.
• Before chemotherapy, the same marker grouping did not predict survival.

This was a small look back at one group of patients. Treat it as a signal for closer counseling, not a reason to withhold surgery.