The present invention relates to the diagnostics of pancreatic cancer. The inventors engineered a novel biomarker discovery approach, tailored for PDAC, which is all-patient inclusive, termed PanEXPEL. This approach offers access to PDAC clinical material before any treatment is applied. The method benefits from clinical biopsy, yet does not interfere with that diagnostic procedure. It can be integrated seamlessly into clinical routine, and is compatible with any type of OMICS profiling. PanEXPEL relies on the interstitial tissue fluid released from the lesion during diagnostic biopsy by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). This is the first technique that allows both clinicians and researchers to analyze identical material in the field of proteomics biomarker research. Here, they demonstrate the potential of PanEXPEL methodology by identifying a PDAC early detection signature through proteomics and subsequent statistical learning. Thus, the present invention relates to a method for diagnosing a pancreatic cancer in a subject in need thereof comprising determining in a sample obtained from the subject the expression levels of at least one biomarker selected from the group consisting of AGR2, ANXA2, ANXA3, ANXA4, CECAM6, CYP2S1, DMBT1, KRT7, KRT8, KRT17, KRT18, KRT19, MAL2, MYH14, 0LFM4, PIGR, SERPINB5, SERPINH1, and TIMP1.