The accuracy of serum KRAS2 mutation detection in the differential diagnosis between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis may be improved by performing quantitative PCR measurement of mutated DNA, in order to discriminate patients with unspecific low levels of mutated DNA (as supposed in chronic pancreatitis) from patients with high levels (pancreatic cancer), as suggested in pancreatic juice analysis by Tada et al (1998). This evidence concerns the gene KRAS and pancreatic neoplasm.