According to Dr. Michael Choti, pancreatic cancer, the
fourth most deadly cancer for both men and women, could surpass breast and
prostate cancer in the next 15 years, to become the third-leading cause of
cancer related deaths. However, study
author Dr. Agnieszka Witkiewicz, recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, says researchers
identified much genetic diversity, including mutated genes that were previously
unknown to pancreatic cancer. This means
most pancreatic cancers have gene mutations that could be targeted by existing
drugs. These findings could lead to improved treatment for pancreatic cancer.
After analyzing the DNA of 109 pancreatic tumors the
researchers discovered that each patient’s tumors were unique. They identified several genes that may be able
to help predict the outcomes in certain cases or serves as good candidates for
therapeutic efforts. Dr. Erik Knudsen
says he is optimistic of the utility of a genetically targeted therapy for
pancreatic cancer after the start of this study. With more research, and this new information,
new therapies can be worked towards to treat this difficult cancer. Dr. Choti hopes to increase the understanding
of the biology of pancreatic cancer, to eventually lower the death rate
associated with this disease.
Original Article: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/04/09/study-yields-genetic-insights-into-pancreatic-cancer
Additional Article: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-uncovers-genetic-diversity-pancreatic-cancer.html
My grandmother died of pancreatic cancer, as well as many of the women on my father's side of the family, so I can definitely see a usefulness of this personally. There's still so many things to learn about cancer specifics, but at least there's some sort of trajectory on what seems like the right path.
ReplyDeleteWow that is very interesting. Hopefully more funding goes towards research in this topic.
ReplyDelete