By Pooja Toshniwal Paharia Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc. May 24 2026 A new spatial map of pancreatic precancer reveals a striking disconnect: PanIN cells can look increasingly cancer-like, yet their surrounding tissue may lack the stromal and immune changes needed to support malignant transformation. Study: Asynchronous evolution of epithelium and stroma differentiates precursor lesions from pancreatic cancer . Image Credit: Nemes Laszlo / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the