Project

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in Western countries. Its incidence is increasing in France, with 16,000 new cases reported in 2023 and 11,400 deaths. In more than 90% of cases, it is an adenocarcinoma. Treatments for pancreatic cancer include surgical resection and chemotherapy. Surgery can only be offered with curative intent in 10 to 15% of cases. Thus, in 85% of cases, the cancer is locally advanced or metastatic, and the patient will be treated with chemotherapy or supportive care. To date, the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is made through tumor biopsy via Fine Needle Aspiration echo-endoscopic or radiological biopsy of metastases.

The absence of reliable circulating markers clinically makes any preventive action or screening impossible at this time. Research efforts in this area face a dual challenge: to save time by improving diagnostic timelines and to strengthen the therapeutic arsenal, which remains limited despite significant efforts already made. It is important to identify and characterize new molecular markers applicable for better diagnosis and/or treatment (particularly factors related to chemotherapy response).

BACAP is the national prospective Clinico-Biological Database on Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma coordinated by Professor Barbara BOURNET from the Toulouse University Hospital and funded by INCa. It consists at the time of diagnosis of biological samples (blood, serum, plasma, DNA, RNA from the tumor, and fixed tissues). Clinical data (clinical and radiological signs, treatments) are collected at the time of diagnosis and throughout subsequent follow-up.