New Strategy for Treating Pancreatic Cancer Revealed By Study

A study says scientists have found a new strategy to selectively kill pancreatic cancer cells without harming normal cells.

Scientists from The University of Manchester and part of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre believe they have discovered a new way to make chemotherapy treatment more effective for pancreatic cancer patients.

Gene Therapy Destroys Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest of cancers, affecting many people a year and having an extremely low survival rate. Pancreatic cancer is the

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis and limited treatment options and is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

But researchers believe they have found an effective strategy for selectively killing pancreatic cancer while sparing healthy cells which could make treatment more effective.

Jason Bruce, from the Physiological Systems and Disease Research Group, who led the research, said: "Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers. Most patients develop symptoms after the tumour has spread to other organs.

Tobacco Found To Trigger Familial Pancreatic Cancer
Tobacco may trigger early onset of pancreatic cancer in those with a genetic predisposition to the disease, according to a new study. Pancreatic

To make things worse, pancreatic cancer is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Clearly a radical new approach to treatment is urgently required. We wanted to understand how the switch in energy supply in cancer cells might help them survive."

The research, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry this month, found pancreatic cancer cells may have their own specialised energy supply that maintains calcium levels and keeps cancer cells alive.

Two Drug Combination Improves Survival In Pancreatic Cancer Patients
A study shows that the drug combination nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine is more effective in the treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer than gemcitabine alone, which has been the standard treatment for these patients up until now.

Maintaining a low concentration of calcium within cells is vital to their survival and this is achieved by calcium pumps on the plasma membrane, reports Science Daily.

This calcium pump, known as PMCA, is fuelled using ATP -- the key energy currency for many cellular processes.

Hope For Those With Pancreatic Cancer
According to researchers the identification of a key molecule that controls the growth, spread and survival of pancreatic cancer cells could be a

"Designing drugs to cut off this supply to the calcium pumps might be an effective strategy for selectively killing cancer cells while sparing normal cells within the pancreas."

Source-IANS