Each and every day, advancements are being made in the way of cancer research. With people all around the world working to find a cure, we are slowly gathering more and more information about the disease in its various forms. And slowly but surely we are moving toward our goal of finding a cure for cancer. One type of cancer that we have recently learned more about is pancreatic cancer. Much research has been done in the way of pancreatic cancer, and a recent study has led to a truly unique set of findings that will have a large impact on how we treat the disease.
It turns out, pancreatic cancer is actually not one disease, but four different diseases. This breakthrough is the result of an experiment that was carried out by an international team that was led by Australian researchers. This in-depth analysis of the genetics of pancreatic cancer was led in particular by Professor Sean Grimmond, formerly of The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB). Grimmond is currently the Director of Research & The Bertalli Chair in Cancer Medicine, University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research.
What the researchers observed was a very complex phenomenon. Over the course of seven years, the scientists studied the genomes of 456 pancreatic tumors in order to figure out what core processes were damaged when the pancreatic issues transform into aggressive cancers.
The study found that there were 32 genes from 10 genetic pathways that were consistently mutated in pancreatic tumors. But this wasn’t all they found. It was also found through further gene activity that there were four distinct types of tumors. From this study, it has been concluded that pancreatic cancer is best considered to be four separate diseases. These diseases have different treatments and underlying genetics, as well as different survival rates.
This study is truly groundbreaking because it was the first study in which an integrated genomic analysis was performed. This means that the team combined the results of a number of techniques in order to assess not only the genetic code, but also variations in gene activity and in structure. As a result, we now know more than ever before regarding the genetic damage that leads to pancreatic cancer.
Professor Grimmond also added that there are already cancer drugs available, as well as some in development, that would be able to target the parts of the ‘damaged machinery’ that often lead to the start of pancreatic cancers. Some strains of pancreatic cancer, for example, are surprisingly associated with mutations that are typically associated with leukemia or with colon cancer. Experimental drugs for these associated diseases are available or in development, thus meaning a possible treatment for certain strains of pancreatic cancer.
Grimmond felt that it was critical to learn more about the genetic causes of pancreatic cancer because most patients who suffer from the disease only live a few months after diagnosis. Furthermore, it was predicted that within a decade, pancreatic cancer would become the second most common cancer in the Western countries. This study’s finding is instrumental to our journey toward a cure. If a doctor can find out which subtype of pancreatic cancer a patient has, the doctor will be able to provide a more accurate prognosis, and better recommendations for treatment. This study could make a huge difference in the future of pancreatic cancer.