Current Status of EUS and Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms: From Diagnosis to Treatment Cyst Fluid Markers for Differential Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms: Beyond CEA

Despite the remarkable advances in computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, their ability to differentiate pancreatic cystic lesions and to determine the presence of malignancy still remains uncertain.1 Although endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) provides detailed imaging of the pancreatic cystic lesions, the imaging features alone do not seem sufficient to differentiate benign from malignant lesions.2 EUS provides a platform for fine-needle aspiration (FNA), which enables the aspiration and subsequent analysis of pancreatic cyst fluid. In this chapter, we will discuss the utility of pancreatic cyst fluid analysis in the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions. We will focus on the use of cyst fluid analysis in the differentiation between mucinous and non-mucinous cysts as well as in the detection of malignancy.