Less than 10 percent of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive for more than five years after their diagnosis. It impacts 67,530 people and kills 52,740 in the US each year, per the American Institute for Cancer Research.
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A study last year however might offer some more hope. It was led by Dr Mariano Barbacid, who previously played a vital role in identifying the first human oncogene, which are genetic mutations that cause cancer.
The new research focuses on the KRAS oncogene, which is mutated in 90 percent of people who have pancreatic cancer.The problem with previous attempts to target the KRAS gene is that the tumor can become resistant to the therapies within a few months.
But the new approach uses a cocktail of three drugs to inhibit the gene at three different points, which means the tumor is less likely to become resistant to the treatment.
When they tested it on mice, they found it permanently eliminated pancreatic tumors without any major side effects.
The scientists wrote in the study: « These studies open a path to designing new combination therapies that can improve survival for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [the most common pancreatic cancer].
“These results point the way for developing new clinical trials.”A team of scientists from the Spanish Cancer Research Centre, led by the renowned Dr Mariano Barbacid, has achieved the complete and permanent disappearance of pancreatic cancer in experimental models.
