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Quest Diagnostics

Quest Pap Smear for the Pancreas

Quest is participating in a nationwide clinical registry that draws upon the power of cytologic screening in the fight against pancreatic cancer

A proven approach

Quest is pleased to be part of a nationwide clinical registry which is collecting long term patient outcome data on a ¡°Pap smear for the pancreas¡±? approach of using screening cytology to aid in the early detection and prevention of pancreatic cancer.

In the 1950¡¯s, cervical cancer was among the largest causes of cancer death in American women. Almost everyone had a mother, sister, aunt, niece, wife, or daughter who died from the disease. By the 1970¡¯s however, US cervical cancer deaths had dropped to 14, and remain uncommon today.

What brought about this remarkable change was the widespread adoption in the 1960¡¯s of screening cytology. In the routine cervical Pap smear, a sample of cells (cytology) is obtained by a gynecologist from the surface of the cervix. This cytology sample is then examined under the microscope at Quest Diagnostics and other laboratories for the presence of still-harmless but precancerous cells. Detecting and removing precancer can prevent cancer before it can start.

How it works

For the pancreatic cancer screening procedure, a minimally invasive endoscopy is performed by a gastroenterologist to obtain a sample of the fluid that is normally released by the pancreas after you have a meal. Prior to the endoscopy, an ultrasound probe is placed over your abdomen and 15 minutes of FDA-cleared, low-intensity, non-focused ultrasound (LINFU?) is administered. This is designed to increase the number of cells that are naturally shed into the pancreatic fluid in order to enrich the cytologic specimen that will be analyzed by the laboratory. For additional information on the LINFU technology, please visit .

A simple process

Find out if you qualify

If you have a first degree relative (mother, father, brother, sister, son, or daughter) who had pancreatic cancer and/or you have any of the other known risk factors for the disease, you may qualify for annual screening that will include both pancreatic imaging and cytology.
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Get started today

If you believe that you may qualify, please send an email to Pancreas@QuestDiagnostics.com to receive further information and referral to a participating pancreatic cancer screening center near you.

LINFU? is a registered trademark of Adenocyte, Ltd.

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