Advancements in the diagnosis of biliopancreatic diseases: A comparative review and study on future insights

Table 4 Summary of key biomarkers and their diagnostic performance

Biomarker	Primary use	Sensitivity	Specificity	Detection method	Clinical applications	Limitations
CA 19-9	Pancreatic cancer	80%-90%	70%-80%	Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)	Used in monitoring disease progression and treatment response	Elevated in benign conditions; lacks specificity
KRAS mutations	Pancreatic cancer	High	High	Polymerase chain reaction (PCR); next-generation sequencing (NGS)	Identifies high-risk patients, guides targeted therapies	Limited sensitivity in early-stage cancer
Amylase/lipase	Acute pancreatitis	> 90%	70%-80%	Serum biochemical assays	First-line test for diagnosing acute pancreatitis	Cannot distinguish between acute and chronic cases
Alpha-fetoprotein	Hepatocellular and biliary carcinoma	60%-70%	80%-90%	ELISA, chemiluminescent immunoassay	Used in screening for hepatocellular carcinoma	Limited specificity in biliary malignancies
MicroRNAs (miR-21, miR-196a)	Early detection of pancreatic cancer	85%	90%	Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR); RNA sequencing	Potentially noninvasive biomarker for early detection	Requires further validation and standardization

CA 19-9: Cancer antigen 19-9.