Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer in the world.
Only about 13 out of every 100 people diagnosed with this disease survive for five years or more.
In Ireland, nearly 900 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, and around 820 of them die from it.
One of the biggest challenges with this type of cancer is that it is often found too late, when treatment is less likely to work. This is because early symptoms are usually vague and easy to overlook.
A team of researchers at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Medicine is trying to change that. They are studying pancreatic cystic lesions—fluid-filled sacs that appear on or in the pancreas. Some of these cysts are harmless, but others can develop into cancer. The problem is that doctors often cannot tell which ones are dangerous and which are not.
The research team, led by Professor Stephen Maher and including Dr. Laura Kane and Professor Barbara Ryan, has discovered certain substances in the blood and in the cyst fluid that seem to differ between people at high risk and those at low risk of getting pancreatic cancer.
These substances, known as biomarkers, can help doctors better understand a patient’s cancer risk.
In their new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team combined several biomarkers to create a test panel. This panel can more accurately identify which patients are likely to develop cancer.
Right now, there are several different guidelines around the world that doctors use to judge a patient’s risk. But these guidelines often don’t agree with each other, which makes diagnosis difficult.
This new biomarker panel could be a game-changer. Not only does it show how proteins and genetic materials behave differently in people with pancreatic disease, but it could also help doctors catch the disease earlier. Earlier detection means doctors can begin treatment sooner, which gives patients a better chance of survival.
Although the results are promising, the test still needs to be studied in more people before it can be used widely. But the research team is hopeful. They have also made their data available for other scientists to use.
These large datasets can now be combined to help researchers around the world find new treatments or learn more about how pancreatic cysts might turn into cancer.
Dr. Laura Kane, who is continuing her work with the support of a Research Ireland Fellowship, said their main goal is to help patients live longer and have better outcomes. She believes this new test could be a powerful tool to monitor high-risk patients and catch cancer earlier.
Professor Maher added that their work also aims to make it easier to keep track of these patients by using less invasive methods. This could make life easier for both doctors and patients.
In summary, this study offers new hope in the fight against pancreatic cancer. By creating a more reliable way to detect high-risk cases early, the researchers at Trinity College Dublin may help save lives and improve how this disease is treated in the future.
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The study is published in Scientific Reports.
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