Preliminary Evaluation of Screening for Pancreatic Cancer in Patients With Inherited Genetic Risk

February 3, 2026 updated by: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
The study is a prospective, observational study evaluating the utility of endoscopic ultrasound or MRI for the identification of preneoplastic and neoplastic pancreatic lesions in patients at high risk for pancreatic cancer, specifically those with BRCA1/2, ATM, or PALB2 mutations.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) has emerged as a critical component in the imaging, staging, and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Not only can EUS delineate a mass utilizing sonography through the wall of the stomach or duodenum, but it also can obtain diagnostic fine needle aspiration of suspicious lesions. Especially in patients with incomplete visualization of a mass on cross-sectional imaging, EUS can provide valuable anatomic information prior to surgical exploration. While several studies have demonstrated that EUS has high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing pancreatic masses, head-to-head comparisons with established modalities like CT have been often methodologically flawed. In a meta-analysis, it was found that of 4 studies that assessed resectability, 2 showed no difference and 1 favored each modality. As such, estimates of accuracy for assessing preoperative resectability have also ranged in several studies from 63-93%. As such it has been recognized as an accepted modality for the evaluation of potential pancreatic malignancy.

While pancreatic ductal adenocarincoma (PDAC) screening in the general population is not feasible given the low incidence of PDAC, screening in high risk cohorts may allow for early detection of resectable, and potentially curable tumors. Clinical outcome of patients with smaller, non-metastasized tumors have a significantly improved 5-year survival. Generally the current recommendation is that patients who are first degree relatives of patients with PDAC from a familial PDAC kindred with at least 2 directly related relatives, patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, those with a CDKN2A pathogenic germline variant, and those with BRCA1/BRCA2/ATM/PALB2/Lynch pathogenic germline variants with a first or second degree relative with pancreatic cancer would qualify for pancreatic cancer screening. However, there is continued debate about whether family history should be used to determine who is eligible for pancreatic cancer screening. In this study we will be following individuals at the University of Pennsylvania who have a BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, or PALB2 pathogenic germline variant and who are getting pancreatic cancer screening, regardless of whether or not they have a family history of PDAC. Ultimately, in high-risk individuals, such as BRCA1/2, ATM, and PALB2 carriers, the successful identification of early neoplastic/preneoplastic lesions of the pancreas would allow for timely intervention and likely improved survival in this cohort.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19004
        • Recruiting
        • Abramson Cancer Center of The University of Pennsylvania
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Bryson Katona, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients at high risk for pancreatic cancer, specifically those with pathogenic germline variant in BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, or PALB2 who will be undergoing pancreatic cancer screening as part of their routine clinical care.

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age >= 18
  • Documented germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, or PALB2 mutation
  • If no history of PDAC in a first or second degree relative, age >= 50
  • If there is a history of PDAC in a first or second degree relative, minimum age of eligibility is 10 years younger than the age of onset of the youngest relative with pancreatic cancer

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
identifying pancreatic neoplastic lesions lesions in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations and other less common, but related mutations (ATM, PALB2) as well as mutations identified in the future.
Time Frame: 10 years
The primary objective of the study is the observational screening of patients with BRCA1/2, ATM, or, PALB2 mutations for pancreatic neoplastic lesions, to assess for both the feasibility of this approach in this high risk population as well as to better establish the incidence of these lesions in this cohort.
10 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

May 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 19, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 22, 2015

First Posted (Estimated)

June 23, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 3, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UPCC 26214

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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