Faecal microbiota-based screening may help with early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, suggests a recent study by a team of researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center in Madrid.  The study, published in the journal Gut, identified a faecal microbiome signature that robustly detects pancreatic cancer at high disease specificity. According to the lead author of the study Dr Nuria Malats, who is heading  the genetic and molecular epidemiology group at the Spanish Center, the fact that this uses noninvasive obtained samples (stool) makes this panel a potential test towards cost-effective pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) screening and monitoring.