The study of pancreatic diseases is hindered by the organ's deep seated location and especially lack of symptoms during the early stages of disease development and progression e.g. pancreatic cancer. This is particularly true of pancreatic cysts, the variety and the malignant potential of which encompass a broad spectrum. The radiological features distinguishing a benign from a pre-malignant to a frankly malignant cyst in the pancreas are frequently underwhelming and have lead to the clinical practice of sampling all but the most obvious. The yield of the aspirate in turn is frequently not of a quality upon which a clinical decision can be based.

Most would agree that the best approach for management of pancreatic cystic neoplasm lies in early diagnosis, ideally at a precancerous stage. The effectiveness and applicability of this study is the based on the ability of the cyst DNA analysis to stratify the patients at risk of developing pancreatic cancer based on the extent of accumulated mutational damage.