Pancreatic tumor growth accelerates when a high-fat diet floods anti-tumor immune cells with lipids, according to a University of Oklahoma researcher studying one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
The National Cancer Institute awarded a five-year, $2.6 million grant to fund the investigation into how saturated fats alter metabolism in cancer cells. Obesity is closely associated with pancreatic cancer, and diet plays a direct role in driving that risk.
Preliminary studies by principal investigator Kamiya Mehla showed that mice with pancreatic cancer developed more aggressive tumors when fed a lard-based high-fat diet. These mice consumed the same number of calories as a control group fed a low-fat diet.
“When anti-tumor immune cells take in a lot of fat, they become functionally impaired and their anti-tumor activity goes down. The tumor cells are forcing the immune cells to take in more fat – we want to understand how that is happening.”
said Kamiya Mehla, associate professor of oncology science in the OU College of Medicine and a research member of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center on the OU Harold Hamm Health Campus, according to ou.edu.
- Immune Impairment: Dietary fats can enter immune cells that normally fight cancer, making those cells sluggish and ineffective.
- Tumor Metabolism: Researchers are tracking whether excess fat directly changes how pancreatic cancer cells consume energy and fuel their own growth.
- Nutritional Balance: The work aims to help dietitians balance high-calorie dietary needs for cancer patients with the biological risks of tumor-feeding fats.
Researchers are examining whether excess fat directly changes the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells. They hypothesize that monounsaturated fats give tumors greater access to lipids, fueling survival and uncontrolled growth.
The study builds on findings that mice fed a lard-based high-fat diet had increased numbers of granulocytes. These immune cells interfere with the body’s ability to fight cancer.
Reducing the activity of those granulocytes improved the ability of other immune cells to attack the cancer in experimental settings. Alongside animal models, the team will analyze human pancreatic cancer tissue for parallel metabolic changes.
“We want to understand how a high-fat diet affects both the immune system’s ability to fight cancer and the tumor’s ability to grow.”
Mehla told ou.edu.
Leah Hoffman Anderson, professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the OU College of Allied Health, serves as a co-investigator on the grant as a registered and licensed dietitian. She brings experience treating cachexia, a condition marked by severe muscle and weight loss common in pancreatic cancer.
Cachexia weakens patients and reduces their tolerance for cancer treatments. Dietitians typically encourage patients with cachexia to eat high-calorie foods to maintain their weight.
This research could help clinicians meet nutritional needs while accounting for dietary fat effects on tumors. Leah Hoffman Anderson described the goal for patient care.
“We want to understand how we can best support patients’ nutritional needs while learning more about how diet may affect their cancer.”
said Leah Hoffman Anderson, professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the OU College of Allied Health.
| Research Focus | Model / Subject | Key Biological Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Immune Function | Murine and human tissue | Granulocyte accumulation and lipid absorption |
| Tumor Metabolism | Lard-based high-fat diets | Monounsaturated fat utilization and cell growth |
| Patient Care | Cachexia management | Caloric intake versus tumor proliferation |
