Pancreatic cancer - epidemiology, risk factors, nutritional and infl ammatory prognostic and predictive factors.

Background: Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging malignancies to treat, with consistently low survival rates despite advances in medical research. The identification and validation of effective prognostic biomarkers are crucial for improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcomes.

Objective: The aim of the work is to analyze the latest data of the pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality, comparing them with global epidemiological data. The narrative review also aims to summarize current knowledge about various prognostic biomarkers in the pancreatic cancer treatment, including indicators of performance status, nutritional and inflammatory markers.

Methods: The most recently available national epidemiological data on pancreatic cancer are analyzed. The literature review is focused on markers that evaluate the general condition of patients, such as performance status, body mass index, prognostic nutritional index and markers of the inflammatory response, such as Glasgow prognostic score, C-reactive protein, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, systemic inflammatory response index and systemic immune inflammation index. These biomarkers are analyzed for their role in predicting prognosis and response to systemic therapy for pancreatic cancer.

Results: Both the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic are globally ranked in the leading places in terms of pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality, both in estimates and real data. Indicators of nutritional and performance status play a critical role in patient assessment and influence treatment decisions, with potential impact on treatment outcomes. Inflammatory markers have shown significant prognostic value, correlating with the patient's immune response to the tumor and inflammatory processes that may promote disease progression. However, despite their promising predictive capabilities, these biomarkers are not routinely used in clinical practice due to the need for further validation.

Conclusion: Integration of new biomarkers into clinical practice could lead to more personalized therapeutic decisions and improved treatment outcomes. Further research is needed for a more comprehensive assessment of the validity of these biomarkers and their use in common clinical conditions.