2023-11-23 05:00:07
A recent study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London marks a significant step forward in the fight against pancreatic cancer. This research highlights a particular type of cell playing a crucial role in the spread of this cancer, while identifying (In computing, we call identifiers (also called sometimes in English login) the…) a vulnerability (In risk management, the vulnerability of an organization or an area…) within these cells which could be targeted by existing drugs. This discovery opens the way to a promising new approach to treating pancreatic cancer.
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Published in Science Advances and funded by Barts Charity and Cancer Research UK, the study reveals the presence of so-called “amoeboid” cells in many cases of pancreatic cancer. These aggressive, invasive and rapidly moving cells weaken the immune system. ..). Although previously identified in other cancers such as melanoma, breast cancer, liver cancer, odd and asymmetrical, located in men in…) and the prostate (The prostate is a large gland of the male genital tract. Its main function is to…), they had never been associated with pancreatic cancer so far.
This study discovered that amoeboid cells found in pancreatic cancer produce high levels of a molecule called CD73, promoting their ability to spread and weaken the immune system. By blocking this molecule, researchers have succeeded in reducing the spread of cancer towards the liver and in reducing the number (The notion of number in linguistics is covered in the article “Number…) of immune cells supporting the tumor (The term tumor (from the Latin tumere, to swell) designates, in medicine, an increase in…). The tests, carried out on mice (The term mouse is an ambiguous vernacular name which can refer, for French speakers, before…) having received anti-CD73 treatment in the short term (3 weeks) and long term, demonstrated that long-term treatment reduced the incidence of cancerous tumors that had migrated to the liver from 66.6% to 36.4%.
Although additional testing in humans is needed to confirm these findings, this study suggests that blocking CD73 may be a promising approach to treating pancreatic cancer and its spread, especially since drugs that block CD73 have already been developed and are being tested in clinical trials for various types of cancers.
Since researchers found that amoeboid cells are present in both advanced and early stages of pancreatic cancer, the results of this study open a possible new avenue to block CD73 from the onset of the disease and thus reduce the aggressive nature of these cells and the damage they cause in the body.
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