Pancreatic cancer may actually present as four separate diseases, according to a recently published study from the United Kingdom.
Prognoses for patients with pancreatic cancer are generally poor because a limited knowledge of the disease has prevented the development of new and effective treatments. However, a study carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Glasgow (Glasgow, UK) may have brought a new understanding to pancreatic cancer, paving the way for the development of more targeted diagnosis and treatments.
------
Related Content
ASCO releases guidelines for pancreatic cancer
Treatment Protocol for Pancreatic Cancer May Improve Survival
------
In the study, which was led by Sean Grimmond, University of Glasgow, and published in Nature, researchers looked at 456 pancreatic tumors and found that the disease could be classified as one of four subtypes: squamous, pancreatic progenitor, immunogenic, and aberrantly differentiated endocrine exocrine (ADEX).
The subtypes were categorized based on specific gene mutations that were present in the tumors. There are already drugs available or in development that target these specific mutations in other cancers, Grimmond said, meaning they could be used to treat each of these more specific forms of pancreatic cancer as well.
Grimmond explained, "This study demonstrates that pancreatic cancer is better considered as four separate diseases, with different survival rates, treatments and underlying genetics. Knowing which sub-type a patient has would allow a doctor to provide a more accurate prognosis and treatment recommendations.”
This discovery is especially important considering the state of care for patients with pancreatic cancer, where standards have remained largely unchanged in the last 20 years and chemotherapeutic options are available but not very selective.
Emma Smith, PhD, who was uninvolved with the study, but a member of Cancer Research UK, praised the findings in a press release: "Identifying different types of pancreatic cancer and revealing the disease's complexity is an important step towards finding more effective treatments. This [study] will help to ensure patients are given the therapies that are most likely to help."
