“Depart from evil, and do good”: Turning Axl from uncontrolled tumorigenic gene to biomarker for early detection of pancreatic cancer

Attempts to achieve early diagnosis are crucial to improve the outcome of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here we present a critical evaluation of a recent study unraveling the potential of circulating AXL as a novel blood marker for early detection of PDAC and differential diagnosis from chronic pancreatitis (CP).