Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with a dismal prognosis that is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage. Although less common than other malignant diseases, it currently ranks as the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the European Union with a five-year survival rate of below 9%. Surgical resection, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, remains the only potentially curative treatment but only a minority of patients is diagnosed with locally resectable, non-metastatic disease. Patients with advanced disease are treated with chemotherapy but high rates of treatment resistance and unfavorable side-effect profiles of some of the used regimens remain major challenges. Biomarkers reflect pathophysiological or physiological processes linked to a disease and can be used as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive tools. Thus, accurate biomarkers can allow for better patient stratification and guide therapy choices. Currently, the only broadly used biomarker for PDAC, CA 19-9, has multiple limitations and the need for novel biomarkers is urgent. In this review, we highlight the current situation, recent discoveries and developments in the field of biomarkers of PDAC and their potential clinical applications.

Background/Objectives. Lymph Node Ratio (LNR) is increasingly recognized as an important prognostic factor in various cancer types, with the potential to enhance patient stratification for intrahepatic (ICC) and extrahepatic (ECC) cholangiocarcinoma. The study aimed to assess the impact of LNR on survival in surgically resected patients with ICC and ECC. Methods. This was a retrospective analysis of National Cancer Database (2004–2020) included ICC and ECC (excluding distal bile duct) patients who underwent primary site resection with adequate lymphadenectomy (≥4 LNs excised). Exclusions comprised age < 18 years, distant metastasis, or incomplete key data. LNR was calculated as the ratio of positive LNs to total examined LNs. Survival probabilities were estimated using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression. Results. The inclusion criteria were met by 954 patients with ICC and 1607 patients with ECC. In patients with ICC, the median OS time was 62.7 months in LNR0 group, 40.8 months in LNR < 30%, and 25.2 months in LNR ≥ 30% (p < 0.001). In ICC, 3-year OS was 69.3%, 54.6%, and 34% for LNR 0, LNR < 30%, and LNR ≥ 30%, respectively (p < 0.05). When adjusted for age, sex, Charlson–Deyo score, histology, surgical margins, chemo- and radiotherapy using Cox regression, LNR < 30% and LNR ≥ 30% were associated with worse OS in patients with ICC (HR 2.1 (95% CI 1.6–2.7) and HR 2.94 (95% CI 2.3–3.8)) and ECC (HR 2.1 (95% CI 1.8–2.5) and HR 3 (95% CI 2.4–3.7)). Conclusions. It is well-known that LN-negative patients have significantly better survival than LN-positive patients with ICC and ECC. This study strongly demonstrates that survival prognosis can be further stratified based on LNR for ICC and ECC patients and that it is not simply a binary factor.

Мета. Покращити результати хірургічного лікування пацієнтів з парадуоденальним панкреатитом шляхом розробки та впровадження нових методик оперативних втручань та застосування диференційованої тактики лікування хворих. Матеріали і методи. Проаналізовано результати лікування 1261 пацієнта з хронічним панкреатитом в Інституті за період з 2014 по 2018 р., 106 із них, у яких діагностовано парадуоденальний панкреатит, включено до дослідження. Результати. Консервативне лікування проведено 34 (32,1%) пацієнтам. Мініінвазивні втручання під контролем ендоскопічної ультрасонографії виконані 25 (23,6%) пацієнтам. Відкрите хірургічне втручання виконано 47 (44,3%) пацієнтам: дуоденозберігаючу резекцію підшлункової залози - 40 (37,8%), панкреатодуоденектомію - 7 (6,6%). Висновки. У разі застосування мініінвазивних методів лікування та органозберігаючих операцій скорочується тривалість перебування хворих у стаціонарі з (18,4 ± 2,6) (95% довірчий інтервал - ДІ) до (14,2 ± 5,5) (95% ДІ) дня та знижується частота розвитку післяопераційних ускладнень з 42,9 до 4 - 12,5%.

Objective. To conduct comparative estimation of efficacy of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin as laboratory markers for stratification of the patients severity state suffering an acute necrotic pancreatitis. Materials and methods. Prospective cohort investigation, including 151 patients with an acute necrotic pancreatitis, was conducted. Clinical, laboratory and bacteriological investigations were accomplished. The levels of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin were determined in the blood plasm. Results. The necrotic accumulations infectioning was diagnosed in 89 (58.9%) patients: local purulent complications - in 27, sepsis - in 33,septic shock - in 29. In 62 patients with sterile pancreonecrosis a C-reactive protein concentration have raised from (5.6 ± 0.89) to (206 ± 29) mg/l (p˂0.001). Development of purulent-septic complications was accompanied by significant and trustworthy (p