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Open research questions in Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research

1,038 gap statements mined from Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 5,039 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The need to distinguish association from rate limitation. The challenge of controlling for anatomical site and biopsy timing.

    Myeloid-driven immunosuppression as a context-dependent therapeutic bottleneck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies technical challenges in performing the omental buttress-and-wrapping technique, including the need for meticulous dissection and management of the splenic vasculature and its branches. The study identifies the challenge of preventing vascular injury and maintaining adequate perfusion during the procedure.

    Feasibility and clinical outcomes of omental buttress-and-wrapping to reduce postoperative complications following minimally invasive spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy: a retrospective cohort study · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is the lack of an effective method to reduce postoperative complications, particularly clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula. The study aims to fill this gap by introducing the omental buttress-and-wrapping technique.

    Feasibility and clinical outcomes of omental buttress-and-wrapping to reduce postoperative complications following minimally invasive spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy: a retrospective cohort study · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the spatial relationships between residual tumor cells and surrounding stromal cells. The need for a framework to connect biological findings with patient outcomes. The necessity to identify candidate partner cells in tumor-stromal interactions.

    Identification of Candidate Partner Cells in Tumor–Stromal Interactions by Histology-Based Spatial Analysis for Prognostic Stratification After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy · 2026 · DOI

  • Need for optimization of nitrogen and carbon sources for fermentation.

    High-Level Extracellular Expression of Collagenase ColH in Bacillus subtilis for Adipose-Derived Cells Extraction · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited industrial production of collagenase. Need for a secretory expression system for collagenase ColH in Bacillus subtilis.

    High-Level Extracellular Expression of Collagenase ColH in Bacillus subtilis for Adipose-Derived Cells Extraction · 2025 · DOI

  • The complexity of the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer is not fully understood. The mechanisms of pancreatic tumors' resistance to immunotherapy are not well-defined. There is a need to unravel the complexity of the tumor microenvironment to improve therapeutic efficacy.

    The Role of Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Status and Future Perspectives · 2024 · DOI

  • While they appropriately acknowledge limitations inherent to the retrospective and multicenter design, additional factors relevant to biological risk stratification were not explored.

    IPMN Management, Time to Move Beyond Surgical Thresholds · 2026 · DOI

  • Criteria to stop it after 5 years of stability in older patients have not been tested outside the center that devised them, nor has their economic value been measured.

    Discontinuing Surveillance of Low‐Risk Branch‐Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms in Routine Practice: An External Application of the “Trivial” Criteria and the Resources it Would Release in Fourteen Health Systems · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of standardized methodology and terminology poses significant barriers to generating high-quality evidence.

    Methodology Assessment of Endoscopic Ultrasound Radiofrequency Ablation ( EUS ‐ RFA ) for Pancreatic Neoplasms: Results From an International Survey · 2026 · DOI

  • Endoscopic papillectomy (EP) is a minimally invasive treatment for ampullary tumors; however, its safety in elderly patients remains unclear.

    Endoscopic Papillectomy May Be a Feasible Treatment Option for Elderly Patients With Ampullary Tumors: A Multicenter Retrospective Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Cabozantinib (cabo), a multi-kinase inhibitor has shown promise in preclinical PDAC models and clinical trials, particularly when combined with immunotherapy, but its mechanisms of action within the PDAC TME remain unclear.

    Spatial Biology and Organoid Technologies Reveal a Potential Therapy-Resistant Cancer Stem Cell Population in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma · 2026 · DOI

  • Patients who progress on or plateau after first-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy have limited evidence-based options outside of further cytotoxic regimens or palliative care.

    Profound Radiographic and Tumor-Lytic Response of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma to a Non-Systemic-Chemotherapy Multimodal Protocol—Fractionated Radiotherapy with Capecitabine Radiosensitization, Intratumoral EpCAM/CD3 Bispecific Antibody, Allogeneic NK and Autologous Lymphocyte Cellular Therapy, and Sequenced Pembrolizumab Following Failure of Conventional Gemcitabine-Based Therapy · 2026 · DOI

  • Observational studies consistently report reduced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk among individuals with atopic conditions (asthma and rhinitis); however, the underlying biological mechanism remains unclear.

    A Comprehensive Assessment of the Causal Relationship between Atopic Conditions and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the frequency of tumor involvement of the MPD in MX-IPMN remains unknown.

    How often does a mixed type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm on imaging indicate pathological involvement of the main pancreatic duct? · 2025 · DOI

  • SUZ12 has been implicated in the progression of several malignancies, but its associations with PDAC, ferroptosis and GEM sensitivity remain unclear.

    SUZ12 promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma <?A3B2 pi6?>progression and chemoresistance by epigenetically silencing NCOA4-induced ferroptosis · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the molecular interplay between oncogenic Kras G12D/+ ( Kras*) and CREB in promoting pancreatic cancer progression under chronic inflammation remains poorly understood.

    CREB Drives Acinar to Ductal Cells Reprogramming and Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Progression in Preclinical Models of Alcoholic Pancreatitis · 2025 · DOI

  • Whether diverse pancreatic stressors drive a shared or context-specific ADM program remains unclear.

    Novel Acinar Metaplastic States Uncovered in Exocrine Pancreas Disease · 2025 · DOI

  • Which patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer may benefit from surgical exploration after induction treatment remains debated.

    Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) response after induction FOLFIRINOX for locally advanced pancreatic cancer identifies patients who may benefit from surgical exploration: multicentre, observational cohort study · 2025 · DOI

  • Morbidity remains high despite decreased perioperative mortality. The certification process requires substantial effort from all partners involved. Standardized documentation and benchmarking are essential for evaluating the impact of certification.

    Impact of Becoming a Certified Oncologic Center of Pancreatic Surgery: Evaluation of Single-Center Perioperative Results and Quality of Life Before and After Implementation of a Certified Center · 2025 · DOI

  • The increase in incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) is of concern and poorly understood.

    Clinical and molecular landscape of surgically resected early onset pancreatic cancer · 2026 · DOI

  • The study is a retrospective secondary analysis, - The sample size for certain subgroups is limited, - The study only includes individuals at high risk…

    The PancreaSure Multianalyte Blood Test Performs Well at Distinguishing Early-Stage Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma from High-Risk Controls: A Retrospective Secondary Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Further validation of PancreaSure in larger cohorts, - Evaluation of PancreaSure in combination with other diagnostic tools, - Investigation of the test's performance in different…

    The PancreaSure Multianalyte Blood Test Performs Well at Distinguishing Early-Stage Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma from High-Risk Controls: A Retrospective Secondary Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Available randomized data do not support empirical immunotherapy combinations in unselected patients, - The study was not powered to establish superiority between arms, - The trial did not identify which immune step remained…

    Myeloid-driven immunosuppression as a context-dependent therapeutic bottleneck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma · 2026 · DOI

  • Atopic endotypes exhibit heterogeneous genetic architectures, warranting further investigation into endotype-specific mechanisms.

    A Comprehensive Assessment of the Causal Relationship between Atopic Conditions and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The gap is the lack of an effective method to reduce postoperative complications, particularly clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (“Feasibility and clinical outcomes of omental buttress-and-wrapping to reduce…”, 2026); (2) The lack of understanding of the spatial relationships between residual tumor cells and surrounding stromal cells (“Identification of Candidate Partner Cells in Tumor–Stromal Interactions by…”, 2026); (3) Criteria to stop it after 5 years of stability in older patients have not been tested outside the center that devised them, nor has their economic value been measured (“Discontinuing Surveillance of Low‐Risk Branch‐Duct Intraductal Papillary…”, 2026); (4) The lack of standardized methodology and terminology poses significant barriers to generating high-quality evidence (“Methodology Assessment of Endoscopic Ultrasound Radiofrequency Ablation ( EUS ‐…”, 2026); (5) Endoscopic papillectomy (EP) is a minimally invasive treatment for ampullary tumors; however, its safety in elderly patients remains unclear (“Endoscopic Papillectomy May Be a Feasible Treatment Option for Elderly Patients…”, 2026). 1,038 gap statements have been mined from Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 5,039 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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