Written by Soujanya Kondameedi
Pancreatic cancer, like other cancers, begins with an uncontrolled growth in the body. It starts when cells in the pancreas grow, unregulated and unchecked. Pancreatic cancer is currently the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths. According to the academic journal, Cancer Research, by 2030, pancreatic cancer is predicted be the 2nd leading cause of deaths in cancer. It is the only major cancer with a survival rate in the single digits—8% [1]. According to the American Cancer Society, 53,070 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Of those people, as many as 41,780 are estimated to die as a result of this disease this year. Popular courses of treatments include surgery, embolization, radiation, chemotherapy and other drugs. Despite the high rates in morbidity and mortality, it remains under-researched and underfunded with few treatments officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [3]. The road to potential cures and research is further stalled by the extensive timeline required for pharmaceuticals to be discovered, examined, and approved. A drug can take up to 10-15 years before it shows up on the market for consumers [3].
The key to creating a cure might lie in understanding why past FDA drugs haven’t been successful in treating patients. In an effort to pursue this, Dr. Reginald Hill, an Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Notre Dame and researcher at the Harper Cancer Research Institute, discovered that the supporting cells making up 90% of pancreatic cancer tumors release genetic material that “educate the cancer cells on how to survive, resulting in a tumor becoming chemoresistant.” Previous studies that have attempted to destroy the problematic supporting cells have only succeeded in further advancing the severity of the cancer. Hill attempted to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy by blocking the release of exosomes which destroyed the communication between supporting cells and cancer cells [2]. Recently published in the journal, Oncogene, Hill suggested that a nontoxic exosome blocker, with a mix of standard-of-care chemotherapy drugs will increase treatment success for pancreatic and other cancers. If the resulting pharmaceutical is effective in stopping all communication between supporting cells and cancer cells, this form of treatment will hold great potential for other cancers as well.
References:
1. Maass, Ryan. “Scientists Identify Potential New Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer.” UPI. UPI.com, 11 Nov. 2016. Web.
2. Richards, K.E., A. E. Zeleniak, J.Wu, and R. Hill. “Cancer-associated Fibroblast Exosomes Regulate Survival and Proliferation of Pancreatic Cancer Cells.” Oncogene. Nature, 26 Sept. 2016. Web.
3. Sieff, Jessica. “New Discovery Paves Way for Improved Efficacy of Pancreatic Cancer Treatments.” Notre Dame News. University of Notre Dame, 11 Nov. 2016. Web.