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The Wayne Fusaro Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is an outstanding
organization which holds steadfast to its mission of eradicating pancreatic
cancer. The University of Pittsburgh Division of Gastroenterology,
Hepatology and Nutrition is proud to partner with the WFPCRF to conquer
pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
Cutting edge research aimed at directly addressing patients' needs is
central to the University's Pancreas & Biliary Center. For the last dozen
years, physicians and scientists have built a unified team designed to
understand human pancreatic and biliary diseases more completely.
Laboratory research is conducted daily, with improved clinical practice and
service to patients as the ultimate research goals. Primary research
advances include:
- Research concerning new methods for early detection of
pancreatobiliary malignancies is being piloted by Dr. Asif Khalid. His lab's
work may prove to be the most sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for the
early and accurate diagnosis of malignant and premalignant masses.
- Dr. David Whitcomb's lab discovered the genetic basis for
hereditary pancreatitis and the genetic causes of "idiopathic" recurrent
acute and chronic pancreatitis. These findings are among the most promising
of all pancreatic research done over the past 100 years. Dr. Whitcomb's
current research examines the gene area on chromosome 4, which may be the
locus of the first identified pancreatic cancer gene.
- Major research efforts are also focused on the repaid and accurate
diagnosis of pancreatic cancers and on new and compelling treatments. The
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is one of the busiest pancreatic
cancer surgery centers in the world, and considerable therapeutic research
is being done to help patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer.
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