It is hypothesized that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from pancreatic adenocarcinoma are released into the peritoneal cavity through blood lost during the surgical resection of these tumors resulting in peritoneal recurrence despite appropriate surgical resection. Targeting the mechanisms responsible for CTC adhesion to the peritoneum may result in inhibition of implantation and growth, thus preventing this mode of pancreatic cancer recurrence postoperatively.

Research Plan:

Intraoperative Subjects with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who have been consented and enrolled into the study will be taken to the operating room (OR) for their previously planned pancreatectomy procedure. After general anesthesia is induced, using universal precautions, blood sample (10ml) will be collected into a heparin tube for identification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and serve as one of two controls designed to assess background CTC counts. Once the participant has undergone surgical exploration as planned and has been deemed a candidate for resection, normal saline will be used to wash the abdominal cavity and collected in a suction canister by the attending surgeon. Abdominal washings are a normal part of the operative procedure, typically performed at the end of the operation to wash blood out of the abdominal cavity and is performed with variable amounts depending on the surgeon's discretion. For purposes of a control for the study, this wash step will be moved to the beginning of the operation. Additional washes/irrigations may be necessary at the end of the case at the surgeon's discretion. Cells collected in this fluid will be centrifuged and collected in the lab for determination of the presence of malignant cells. This will serve as the second of two controls. As the pancreatectomy procedure proceeds, subject blood will be lost as a normal consequence of the procedure and suctioned from the operative field into a new container containing heparin chilled on ice to preserve cell viability. This blood is normally discarded at the end of the case but a portion of the blood will be collected and utilized for downstream lab experiments to detect CTCs.

Laboratory/Post-Processing Blood collected in the operating room as described above will be immediately brought to the laboratory and centrifuged to separate out the plasma, buffy coat, and erythrocytes. The buffy coat, which contains the CTCs, white blood cells, and platelets, is removed and added to the commercially available cocktail per the kit protocol. Ficoll enrichment and separation of the CTCs will then be performed. The isolated CTCs will then be used for further downstream characterization and experimentation which will include, but not limited to: identification of CTC number, growth of CTCs in vitro and in vivo, and identification/characterization of CTC adhesion molecules which allow binding to human peritoneum. Any unused blood or component of blood not utilized in the experiment will be assigned a unique identifier and de-identified of patient for future cross-reference and stored at -80 degrees Fahrenheit at the University of Florida for potential future experiments or repeat CTC isolation.

Participant Data Collection On all enrolled subjects, the following de-identified information will be collected: participant demographic data, clinical and pathologic data, and data on cancer recurrence and overall survival.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Confirmed tissue diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
• Scheduled to undergo pancreatectomy (open or minimally invasive) with curative intent
• Aged 18-85 years
• No race restrictions

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who have undergone preoperative therapy with either chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or both
• Serum CA19-9 less than 200ng/ml
• Patients with prior history of gastrointestinal malignancy

Patients between the ages of 18-85 years with a confirmed tissue diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who are scheduled to undergo curative surgery.