Hence, it can serve as a potential diagnostic tool in the early identification of pancreatic cancers as any patient presenting with premature coronary artery disease or cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction, and/or without any obvious risk factors, could be evaluated for MIC-1/GDF-15 plasma levels, which might lead to early detection of pancreatic adenocarcinomas. This evidence concerns the gene GDF15 and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.