Each year about 33,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Because early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is difficult, the prognosis is generally regarded as poor, with few victims still alive five years after diagnosis. MUC4 is a glycoprotein that has been shown to be expressed in pancreatic tumors while it is usually undetectable in normal pancreas. Researchers at the University of Nebraska medical center have developed technologies for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer based on MUC4. A novel diagnostic technology, based on the highly specific detection of MUC4 protein has been shown to be very accurate in distinguishing pancreatic cancer from pancreatitis and other non-malignant conditions.