Table 1. Search strategy used in PubMed/Medline and Web of Science.

Search	Query	Items found
PubMed/Medline
#6	Search ((((((pancreatic cancer[Title/Abstract]) OR pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma[Title/Abstract])) OR pancreatitis[Title/Abstract])) AND ((((Glycosylation alterations[Title/Abstract]) OR CA 19-9[Title/Abstract]) OR carbohydrate antigen 19-9[Title/Abstract]) OR sialyl-Lewis[Title/Abstract])) AND ((pathogenesis[Title/Abstract]) OR targeted therapy[Title/Abstract])	8
#5	Search (pathogenesis[Title/Abstract]) OR targeted therapy[Title/Abstract]	442,904
#4	Search (((Glycosylation alterations[Title/Abstract]) OR CA 19-9[Title/Abstract]) OR carbohydrate antigen 19-9[Title/Abstract]) OR sialyl-Lewis[Title/Abstract]	5,786
#3	Search (((pancreatic cancer[Title/Abstract]) OR pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma[Title/Abstract])) OR pancreatitis[Title/Abstract]	92,229
#2	Search pancreatitis[Title/Abstract]	57,123
#1	Search (pancreatic cancer[Title/Abstract]) OR pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma[Title/Abstract]	38,636
Web of Science
#6	#5 AND #4 AND #3	55
#5	#2 OR #1 Indexes=SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI, CCR-EXPANDED, IC Timespan=All years	130,655
#4	TOPIC: (pathogenesis) OR TOPIC: (targeted therapy) Indexes=SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI, CCR-EXPANDED, IC Timespan=All years	671,302
#3	TOPIC: (Glycosylation alterations) OR TOPIC: (CA 19-9) OR TOPIC: (carbohydrate antigen 19-9) OR TOPIC: (sialyl-Lewis) Indexes=SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI, CCR-EXPANDED, IC Timespan=All years	9,871
#2	TOPIC: (pancreatitis) Indexes=SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI, CCR-EXPANDED, IC Timespan=All year	56,273
#1	TOPIC: (pancreatic cancer) OR TOPIC: (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) Indexes=SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI, CCR-EXPANDED, IC Timespan=All years	79,292