SPINK1 and neoplasm: The most upregulated genes in PDAC include SPINK1, known for contributing towards increased tumor proliferation and poor cancer prognosis (Mehner and Radisky, 2019); TFF1, which facilitates PDAC metastasis (Arumugam et al., 2011); and S100A6, a key diagnostic marker for PDAC (Leclerc and Vetter, 2015).