Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has a special program for people at higher risk for pancreatic cancer. If you’re related by blood to someone who has had pancreatic cancer, you may be at higher risk, too.

MSK experts may be able to help catch pancreatic cancer early, when it’s often easier to treat. It’s a process called active surveillance or active monitoring. We screen for pancreatic cancer and watch for any changes.

Who should be screened for pancreatic cancer?

The Pancreatic Cancer Screening and Risk Evaluation Program is open to people who have a higher risk for pancreatic cancer. Screening may help you the most if you’re someone who is at higher risk.

You’re at higher risk for pancreatic cancer if you have:

• A family history of pancreatic cancer. Familial pancreatic cancer means 2 or more first-degree blood relatives were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A first-degree blood relative is a parent, sibling, or child who is not related to you by marriage or adoption.
• A change (mutation or variant) in genes or an inherited condition. A gene mutation or a hereditary cancer syndrome can be linked to a higher risk for pancreatic cancer.
• Both of these things.

MSK offers a test called the multi-gene panel test for hereditary pancreatic cancer. It looks for gene mutations that may raise your risk for pancreatic cancer.

It can be faster to find a hereditary cause of pancreatic cancer when we test many genes at once. A multi-gene panel test can test for mutations 1 gene at a time or many genes at the same time. It uses the same saliva or blood sample to test many genes. 

If you have a mutation in the BRCA2 gene, you may have a higher chance of getting pancreatic cancer. A BRCA2 mutation means you have a condition called Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndrome, which sometimes can raise your risk for pancreatic cancer.

A PALB2 gene mutation can raise your risk for pancreatic cancer, but this is less common.

An ATM gene mutation can raise your risk for pancreatic cancer, but this also is less common.

Other gene mutations can raise your risk for pancreatic cancer. They include STK11, CKDN2A/p16, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, PRSS1, SPINK1, and TP53.

If you want to see if you can join our program, please use our screening eligibility tool. You can also call Dr. Vineet Rolston’s office at 212-639-4822 and ask for more information.

Why choose MSK for pancreatic screening and active monitoring

MSK’s team of pancreatic cancer experts is among the nation’s largest. We’re a leading hospital for pancreatic cancer care and research.  We’re experts at diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer. MSK treats among the highest volumes of pancreatic cancer cases in both New York City and the country.

That’s why MSK is recognized as a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence. We’re committed to catching pancreatic cancer early and supporting you throughout screening.

Being named a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence means MSK:

• Passed a very strict review of our doctors. 
• Offers many programs to support people who have pancreatic cancer. This includes pain management and symptom control, counseling, nutrition, integrative medicine, rehabilitation, pre-habilitation, and other services.
• Shows excellence in our clinical trials as we test new treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Research excellence

Dr. Mengmeng Du, an epidemiologist, is researching the causes of pancreatic cancer. She co-leads MSK’s program for screening and monitoring people at higher risk for pancreatic cancer.

If you choose to join our program, we may also ask you to join our larger Pancreatic Tumor Registry project.

This research program includes people in our Pancreatic Cancer Screening and Risk Evaluation Program. The registry also collects and studies information from people who have pancreatic cancer and their family members. It also includes people who do not have the disease.

We hope the information we learn from our registry can help improve pancreatic cancer care for people in the future. By joining the registry, you can help us and other people like you.

Our research team will contact you to see if you’re interested in joining our registry. You will hear from either research project associate Jeffin Naduparambil or clinical research coordinator Jayralin Herrera.

What happens at a pancreatic cancer screening appointment?

During your first visit, you will meet with Dr. Vineet Rolston. She is a gastroenterologist (GAS-troh-EN-teh-RAH-loh-jist), a doctor with special training in the gastrointestinal (GI) system, including the pancreas. 
 

Dr. Vineet Rolston is an expert in screening for pancreatic cancer and finding early signs of the disease. She co-leads MSK’s program for screening and monitoring people at higher risk for pancreatic cancer.

Over time, you may also meet with other healthcare providers who also are experts in pancreatic cancer screening and risk assessment.

Your screening starts with a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). This is a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. It uses radio waves, a powerful magnet, and a computer to take pictures of the pancreatic and bile ducts.

Pancreatic ducts are small channels that carry digestive enzymes to the intestines. They are often where tumors start.

The goal of pancreatic cancer screenings

We use screening and monitoring to look for precancerous lesions or other early signs of pancreatic cancer. When you join our program, you’ll be screened for pancreatic cancer once a year. Depending on your risk, screenings may happen more or less often.

Our goal is to find any signs of cancer as early as possible. This gives you treatment options while the cancer is at an earlier stage, when treatments may work better. It’s not the same as having no treatment.

What happens if my screening finds signs of pancreatic cancer?

If we see something on your MRCP that needs a closer look, we’ll give you an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). An EUS uses ultrasound waves to make very detailed pictures of the pancreas. This procedure uses a flexible tube called an endoscope. You’ll have anesthesia, which is medicine to make you sleep.

If tests show there’s pancreatic cancer that should be treated, MSK has a team of experts in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Will monitoring catch pancreatic cancer early enough?

We understand you’re worried about getting pancreatic cancer. Active monitoring gives you the best chance of finding pancreatic cancer early, when treatments work best.

Your care team will monitor your results very closely. We look for important changes that tell us we need to do more treatment. If we see any changes that suggest cancer, we will work with you right away to take the next steps.

How you can join the program

To join the program, call Dr. Vineet Rolston’s office at 212-639-4822. We will answer any questions you may have about the program and share information on next steps.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, our social workers can help. They’re available even before you meet with one of our doctors. They can support you before, during, and after screening.

MSK pancreatic cancer screening locations in NYC

All pancreatic cancer screenings are done in Manhattan. We offer screening at these locations in New York:

• David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion
• Our main hospital (Memorial Hospital)

If you want, you can review your results with your MSK provider in a telemedicine visit. This depends on the state you live in. If you need more treatment, your care team will talk with you about where you can get it.