Cancer can be dreadful and devastating; however, the last 50 years have been filled with remarkable progress in detection and treatment. These advances have translated to people conquering what was once thought of as a death sentence and more individuals living longer than ever before.
Certain cancers, however — like pancreatic cancer — continue to impact more than 50,000 Americans each year and remain difficult to treat.
A Pancreatic Cancer Primer
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in our country. Approximately 1 in 65 men and women are at risk of this cancer. Once diagnosed, only 20 percent of people survive longer than one year.
Why is this cancer so lethal, you may ask? Pancreatic cancer is deadly because it is difficult to detect early and often presents in the advanced stages. The pancreas lies deep between the stomach and the spine, making it difficult to access for treatment and providing an easy pathway to spread quickly to nearby organs. In addition, these cancers can also employ multiple strategies to resist treatment.
Even novel treatments like immunotherapies, which aim to boost the body’s immune system and have been effective in improving outcomes for people with lung cancer, kidney cancer and melanoma, continue to be ineffective in treating pancreatic cancer. Pre-clinical research has now revealed strategies to potentially tip this balance in our favor and improve outcomes for our patients.
[See: 7 Innovations in Cancer Therapy.]
The Latest Research in How to Combat This Deadly Disease
As chief resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, I have conducted research in the lab of Dr. Chandan Guha, who is the Director of the Einstein Institute of Oncophysics and Vice Chairman and Director of Translational Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Our work has focused on improving immune responses of tumors using novel treatment combinations involving high-dose radiation.
We applied this technique to pancreatic cancer in a series of pre-clinical studies with encouraging preliminary results, which we were excited to present just last week at the 58th Annual Meeting at the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the research meeting of the leading professional association in radiation oncology dedicated to improving patient care.
During the meeting, we showcased our pre-clinical results about “priming” a pancreatic tumor with a drug known as a histone deacetylase inhibitor, a compound with a history of use in blood related cancers, combined with radiation treatment. In cell culture and our mouse models, this regimen made the tumor cells more recognizable to the immune system and more likely to have a positive immune response.
We are now investigating this regimen with immunotherapy to gauge if we can reverse the previous trend of poor responses in pancreatic cancer.
What’s Next?
We were very pleased by the excitement around this pre-clinical study and the favorable response to it from our colleagues at ASTRO. As we begin to move closer to conducting clinical trials, we believe that combination therapies, including epigenetic priming as we described, may present a promising strategy for treating a difficult disease and may represent future hope for those suffering from pancreatic cancer.
We encourage anyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to learn more about clinical trials for which they may be eligible and the associated risks and benefits. These trials may represent an opportunity to access the latest treatment options and partner with doctors to learn better ways to help our patients.
[See: 10 Lessons From Empowered Patients.]
Knowing the Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer
There remains no effective screening tool for pancreatic cancer, and general awareness of this disease is vital.
Pancreatic cancer incidence increases as we age. The majority of cases, both in men and women, develop between ages 60 and 80. Diabetes appears to be a risk factor, as is smoking and having a diet that is high in meat and cholesterol. Symptoms can include fatigue, pain in the upper abdomen or unexplained jaundice; however, they tend to not be prevalent until the cancer is more advanced. We encourage patients to speak with their doctors about their concerns, especially if there is a family history of cancer.
[See: 16 Health Screenings All Women Need.]
Important Resources
To continue to improve awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms and the latest pancreatic cancer news and clinical trials, below are some of my favorite online resources from leading government and patient advocacy and education organizations:
— American Cancer Society: facts and figures about cancer, as well as links to local resources and clinical trials.
— National Cancer Institute: accurate and up-to-date information from the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research.
— Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: provides support, resources, volunteer opportunities and hope for people fighting pancreatic cancer.
More from U.S. News
7 Innovations in Cancer Therapy
Breast Pain? Stop Worrying About Cancer
7 Things You Didn’t Know About Lung Cancer
New Hope for Pancreatic Cancer originally appeared on usnews.com
