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in view of the advances made over the past few years, digestive endoscopy units must adapt to an increased demand and the development of novel techniques. However, the actual status of these units is virtually unknown and is limited to few surveys from over a decade ago. Thus, a new survey was performed of the current situation of endoscopy units in the Valencian Community.

AIMS: To assess the expression of cathepsins in pancreatic samples obtained by endoscopic ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and to investigate their relationship with the staging of the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). METHODS: We prospectively included patients with solid pancreatic masses, in which EUS-FNA were performed. Cathepsins B, L, S and H expression was determined in FNA samples. RESULTS: Seventeen FNA were performed. All cytological material was from PDAC. Expression of cathepsins was predominantly low (B 65%, L 23%, S 76%, and H 41%). We found no correlation between the expression levels and the extension of the neoplasm. CONCLUSION: Expression of cathepsins in the cytological material of PDAC is diverse but still poor to be useful in the pre-operative diagnosis. There is no correlation between the expression levels of cathepsins and the extension of the PDAC.