Pancreatic cancer is a particularly tough type of cancer. It’s known for growing and spreading really fast. The sad part is, out of every 100 people diagnosed, only about 8 survive more than five years. This type of cancer is known as Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC for short.
Despite this grim picture, there’s a ray of hope. Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have made an exciting discovery.
They’ve been looking into a way to fight this cancer and shared their findings in a study published in a journal called Nature Cell Biology. The team, led by Axel Behrens, concentrated on a certain type of cancer cells, called cancer stem cells.
Now, cancer stem cells are a bit like the good stem cells in our body that fix damaged tissues and organs.
But instead of repairing, these cancer stem cells are experts in starting new tumors and can turn into various types of tumor cells. So, understanding them is key to figuring out how to beat cancer.
In their research, the team stumbled upon a protein named CD9. This protein was found on the surface of these cancer stem cells.
What’s interesting is that it was there whether the tumor was just starting or had been around for a while. This means CD9 could be used to spot these cancer stem cells.
But CD9 is more than just a signpost. The researchers found it also plays a part in how these cancer stem cells act badly.
When they played around with the levels of CD9 in tumor cells in mice, something interesting happened. Lowering CD9 levels resulted in smaller tumors, whereas increasing it made the cancer cells grow larger and more quickly.
Data from patients also showed that people with higher levels of CD9 in their cancer cells often had a tougher time with the disease. This was true for about 10% of people with this type of cancer.
So how does CD9 help cancer grow? The scientists looked into how cancer stem cells use food, specifically a nutrient called glutamine.
This nutrient is like fuel for cancer, helping it grow. They found out that CD9 helps the cells take in glutamine faster, fueling the cancer even more.
This discovery is a big deal. It means scientists now have a new target in their battle against pancreatic cancer. They can work on treatments that go after the CD9 protein. These treatments could essentially starve the cancer stem cells by cutting off their glutamine supply.
If successful, these new treatments could be a game-changer. They have the potential to save many lives and mark a significant advancement in the fight against pancreatic cancer. It’s a promising step forward, offering hope in a field where it’s much needed.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about a new method to treat cancer effectively, and this low-dose, four-drug combo may block cancer spread.
For more information about cancer prevention, please see recent studies about nutrient in fish that can be a poison for cancer, and results showing this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
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