Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat because it is usually found after it has already spread.
In its early stages, the disease often causes few or no symptoms, making early diagnosis difficult. As a result, survival rates remain much lower than for many other types of cancer.
A new study by researchers at the Sloan Kettering Institute at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and IRB Barcelona has uncovered important clues about how pancreatic cancer first develops. Their findings were published in the journal Science and could help scientists develop better ways to detect and treat the disease before it becomes advanced.
Most cancers begin when changes, known as mutations, occur in a cell’s DNA. One of the most common mutations in pancreatic cancer affects a gene called KRAS. Under normal conditions, KRAS helps control how cells grow and divide, but when it becomes damaged, it can cause cells to grow out of control.
The researchers found that a KRAS mutation alone is not enough to start pancreatic cancer. Long-lasting inflammation also plays a major role. Inflammation is the body’s normal response to injury or infection, but when it continues for a long time it can create conditions that make cancer more likely to develop.
In experiments using mice with the same KRAS mutation found in many patients, the team observed that just one or two days after the pancreas was injured, inflammation began changing the behavior of nearby cells.
These early changes made the cells more likely to develop into pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC, the most common and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.
One of the study’s most important discoveries involved a process called cell plasticity. This means that cells can change their identity and behavior. During inflammation, some cells became more flexible and better able to communicate with surrounding cells, making it easier for cancer to grow and spread.
The researchers also found that these changes followed a clear sequence instead of happening by chance. Understanding this order of events may give scientists opportunities to interrupt the process before a tumor fully develops.
To study the disease in greater detail, the team used single-cell analysis, a powerful technique that examines individual cells one by one. This allowed them to identify special cells that acted as communication centers, sending signals to immune cells and nearby tissue. These early signals may help create an environment that supports cancer growth.
The findings suggest that pancreatic cancer may begin much earlier than previously thought, with inflammation and abnormal cell communication working together to drive the disease. If doctors can identify these warning signs early, they may eventually be able to detect pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear.
Although more research is needed before these discoveries lead to new treatments, the study provides fresh hope for one of the world’s deadliest cancers. Better understanding of the earliest changes in pancreatic cells could lead to improved screening, more targeted medicines, and even new ways to prevent the disease. The study was published in Science.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that artificial sweeteners are linked to higher cancer risk, and how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and results showing vitamin D supplements strongly reduces cancer death.
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