Pancreatic Cancer News and Research

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Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of all cancer deaths in the United States and the third leading cause of cancer deaths in individuals ages 40 to 60. Approximately 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, and, each year, approximately the same number die from it. Often, pancreatic cancer is found too late for surgical intervention, and chemotherapy and radiation treatments have little effect.

New drug may enhance efficacy of chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer

One of the major obstacles in the treatment of pancreatic cancer is the 'defense wall' that is formed around the tumor.

5 Sep 2019

ASTRO guideline provides recommendations on use of radiation therapy to treat pancreatic cancer

A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology provides recommendations on the use of radiation therapy to treat patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, including when radiation treatments are appropriate, as well as the optimal dosing, timing and fractionation for these treatments.

4 Sep 2019

Drug developed to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer may help prolong life

A drug developed by researchers at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University that targets enzymes involved in the development of pancreatic cancer cells is showing promise for improved treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer.

4 Sep 2019

MicroRNA methylation may be useful biomarker for early cancer diagnosis

Levels of molecules associated with genetic function, such as microRNA, can be an important indicator of abnormal activity associated with cancer. However, little is known about how different molecules are altered in cancerous cells.

4 Sep 2019

The gift of longevity for a pancreatic cancer patient

While weeding in her north Seattle garden, Miggie Olsson discusses how she, as a patient, became a unicorn.

30 Aug 2019

Nerve cells aid in the spread of pancreatic cancer, study reveals

A couple of molecules that nerve cells use to grow during development could help explain why the most common pancreatic cancers are so difficult to contain and for patients to survive, a new study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers suggests.

30 Aug 2019

'MasSpec Pen' could help distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue during surgery

A major challenge for cancer surgeons is to determine exactly where a tumor starts and where it ends. Removing too much tissue can impair normal functions, but not taking enough can mean the disease could recur.

28 Aug 2019

Novel immunotherapy method could overcome tumor immunity

Cancer immunotherapy is a form of treatment in which the body’s own immune cells are recruited to overcome the tumor. However, it is only useful in a few tumors, because of tumor immunity where tumor-associated immune cells work to protect the tumor against attack.

28 Aug 2019

Researchers decode chain of molecules critical for growth and survival of pancreatic cancer

Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have decoded a chain of molecules that are critical for the growth and survival of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) - the most common and also the most lethal form of pancreatic cancer.

23 Aug 2019

New cannabis-based drug shows promise for pancreatic cancer

Cancer of the pancreas is a particularly deadly cancer, claiming over 90% of its victims within 5 years from diagnosis. It resists most standard therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and metastasizes early, often before being diagnosed. A cure is possible only with very localized tumors.

22 Aug 2019

Cancer survivors could be at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases

Over the last few decades, medical progress has led to the survival of many more people with cancer. However, a new study published in The Lancet shows that this cohort has a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than controls without cancer, due to a number of reasons.

21 Aug 2019

Study shows synergistic effects of drugs that inhibit cell division in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with patients surviving on average less than a year once the disease has spread.

19 Aug 2019

Targeted pancreatic cancer drug shows promise in clinical trials

Researchers have conducted clinical trials with a new drug targeting pancreatic cancer and the initial results are promising.

16 Aug 2019

New drug to treat pancreatic cancer shows promising results in clinical trial

A clinical trial testing a new drug in pancreatic cancer had promising initial results, report researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.

14 Aug 2019

Scientists identify hereditary pancreatic cancer risk mutation

Scientists studying a highly cancer-prone family have identified a rare, inherited gene mutation that dramatically raises the lifetime risk of pancreatic and other cancers.

12 Aug 2019

Longer-lived, but less toxic drug may work better for pancreatic cancer

Unlike many other cancers, most pancreatic tumors are rock hard.

9 Aug 2019

New improved model for cancer wasting syndrome cachexia

A new model of cancer-related cachexia promises to help scientists understand why patients with cancer show severe wasting, which in turn may drive the development of better therapies.

7 Aug 2019

New mouse model could lead to a better understanding of cachexia syndrome

A study published in Cell Reports Aug. 6 describes the generation of a new mouse model developed at Hollings Cancer Center that could lead to a better understanding of the cachexia syndrome. This wasting condition, characterized by excessive weight loss, has one of the highest incidences in pancreatic cancer patients.

6 Aug 2019

Research offers molecular details of pancreatic cancer's ability to invade and evade

Two known gene mutations induce pathways that enhance pancreatic cancer's ability to invade tissues and evade the immune system.

6 Aug 2019

Preliminary study for detection of pancreatic cancer shows encouraging results

OTraces, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company specializing in early cancer detection, has announced completion of a preliminary study for detection of pancreatic cancer.

1 Aug 2019