Bioimpedance based biomarker for the detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions of the pancreas: feasibility animal study

Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a significant healthcare challenge due to its aggressive nature and poor prognosis. The current gold standard that combines imaging modalities, endoscopy, and biopsies has limited diagnostic efficacy due to various shortcomings. Methods We propose a feasibility study for the use of a bioimpedance biomarker to detect PC. The biomarker was evaluated in a double blind study on ex vivo pancreata of mice: 15 LSL-Kras G12D ; LSL-p53 R172H ; Pdx1-Cre, 2 LSL-Kras G12D , and 9 wild type controls (Study 1). To determine if the biomarker can distinguish between PC and acute pancreatitis (AP), we challenged it with 18 cerulein-induced AP and 6 saline-injected controls (Study 2). Results The results from Study 1 showed 100% specificity and 94% sensitivity against histopathology outcomes; for Study 2 all AP and saline-injected pancreases were diagnosed as non-cancerous. Regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between biomarker and pathologically analyzed cancer-induced fibrosis (r(24)= 0.73 ( p <0.001)). Conclusion These findings demonstrate the potential of this bioimpedance biomarker as a diagnostic tool for PC.