Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. Because most PC patients are initially diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease, effective diagnostic tests for earlier diagnosis of PC are needed. Several studies have investigated the utility of nanoparticle for both diagnosis and therapy of PC. This review discusses the various engineered nanoparticles currently in use for imaging and therapy. Although nanoparticles have shown considerable clinical promise, complete translation of nanoparticle-based molecular imaging and oncotherapeutic agents has been the challenge.