Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical Center have, for the first time, identified human pancreatic cancer stem cells. Their work indicates that these cells are likely responsible for the aggressive tumor growth, progression, and metastasis that define this deadly cancer.
In the largest single-institution retrospective study to date, researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have shown that giving patients both radiation and chemotherapy after completely removing invasive pancreatic cancer may improve overall survival rates.
Gum disease, tooth loss or periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums caused by bacterial infection that leads to tooth loss, was shown to be associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer in two studies. In one study, all subjects were smokers, and in the other, no adjustment was made for smoking, a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
A pattern of micro molecules can distinguish pancreatic cancer from normal and benign pancreatic tissue, new research suggests. The study examined human pancreatic tumor tissue and compared it to nearby normal tissue and control tissue for levels of microRNA (miRNA). It identified about 100 different miRNAs that are present usually at very high levels in the tumor tissue.
Pancreatic cancer patients 65 or older who live five years after surgery have nearly as good a chance as anyone to live another five years. Researchers reviewed records of 890 pancreatic cancer patients who over a 30 year-period underwent surgery. They found 23 percent lived five years after surgery, half of whom were 65 or older. Some 65 percent lived another five years compared to 87 percent in the general population at age 70.
An inexpensive tracing agent used in combination with ultrasound can pinpoint how effectively drugs targeting pancreatic cancer work, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have demonstrated for the first time.
Utilization of cancer treatments with limited evidence of benefit may depend on the therapy’s availability according to a new study. The study reveals that patients with pancreatic cancer were almost twice as likely to receive radiotherapy, for which there is more controversy regarding efficacy, when the treating hospital had radiotherapy available compared to patients who were treated at centers where radiotherapy was not available.
Scientists have pinpointed a possible reason why pancreatic cancer is such an aggressive disease. Pancreatic cancer cells overexpress gelsolin family-capping proteins, which contribute to their cell motility.
A common asthma drug reduced pancreatic cancer cell growth in laboratory experiments and animal tests, a new study reports.
An international group of researchers has discovered that the mutated form of a gene called Palladin causes familial pancreatic cancer. The findings, published online today, Dec. 12, in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS-Medicine, may help explain why the disease is so deadly. The research project was led by Dr. Teri Brentnall, University of Washington associate professor of medicine, and supported by the Lustgarten Foundation, Canary Foundation and other private sources.