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Pancreatic CystsNCT02110498

Early Detection of Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms

An observational study of Pancreatic Cysts and Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm, run by Johns Hopkins University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This research is being done to learn more about pancreatic cysts. The tests that are currently available are imperfect at determining exactly what type of pancreatic cyst a person has, which cysts contain cancer, or what the risk is of developing cancer in the future. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
How many people
3,000 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2014to Mar 2025
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Any individual with a pancreatic cyst seen at the Johns Hopkins Hospital or other participating Institutions.

Who may be able to join

  • Adult patients age 18 years and older with pancreatic cyst.

Who cannot join

  • Individuals with ASA class 4 or greater.
  • Inability to provide informed consent.
  • Pregnancy or lactation.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21231

Other trials in United States

About this study

This research is being done to learn more about pancreatic cysts. The tests that are currently available are imperfect at determining exactly what type of pancreatic cyst a person has, which cysts contain cancer, or what the risk is of developing cancer in the future. The aim of this study is to use a combination of clinical, imaging, cyst fluid analysis, and molecular markers to try to help develop better tools to answer these questions.

Read the detailed description

Incidental pancreatic cysts are increasingly recognized due to the widespread use of cross-sectional imaging techniques such as CT and MRI. A number of lesions in the pancreas can form cysts, including serous cystadenomas (SCA), mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs), and pseudocysts. SCAs and pseudocysts are considered benign; whereas SPNs are considered malignant and require surgical resection. IPMNs and MCNs are considered neoplasms with malignant potential, although the exact risk of malignant progression of these cysts is unknown. Currently, MCN are all surgically resected, whereas IPMN are resected if they have features suspicious for malignancy.

However, current diagnostic tests cannot always reliably distinguish harmless from potentially harmful cysts. Recent studies conducted at Johns Hopkins have shown that each cyst type has unique genetic features that could be used as diagnostic biomarkers. In this study, clinical, imaging data and cyst fluid analysis of individuals with pancreatic cysts will be collected. In patients who undergo an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) procedure, if a fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is performed, and there is extra cyst fluid left after standard clinical tests have been sent, the extra cyst fluid will be submitted for molecular marker analysis. If an individual undergoes surgery to remove the cyst, cyst fluid will be collected after the cyst has been removed. In addition, a small amount of blood will be collected at the time of the EUS or surgical procedure.

AIMS: The general aim is to propose and prospectively validate a diagnostic approach and model for prediction of mucinous versus non-mucinous, and malignant versus non-malignant, pancreatic cysts using a combination of clinical, radiologic, and biomarker characteristics.

Keywords
Pancreatic cyst, IPMN, SCA, SPN, MCN, pancreatic cystic neoplasm
Medical subject headings
Pancreatic Cyst

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. To develop and prospectively validate a panel of molecular markers to differentiate benign pancreatic cysts from those with malignant potential using surgical pathology as the gold standard

    Measured: 3 years

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. To determine the sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of imaging (CT, MRI and EUS) in patients with pancreatic cysts

    Sensitivity and specificity of imaging results in identifying malignant and mucinous cysts will be calculated using the pathology result as the reference gold standard. The overall accuracy of the imaging results, defined as percent agreement with pathology, will also be calculated. Estimates will be reported with exact binomial 95% confidence intervals.

    Measured: 3 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Apr 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2014
  3. Primary completionMar 2025
  4. Study completionMar 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
3,000 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02110498
Sponsor's protocol ID
NA_00084662
Status last verified
Feb 2026
First submitted
30 Mar 2014
Last updated
2 Mar 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Pancreatic Cysts and Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm, run by Johns Hopkins University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

To develop and prospectively validate a panel of molecular markers to differentiate benign pancreatic cysts from those with malignant potential using surgical pathology as the gold standard (time frame: 3 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Mar 2026.

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