An extensive study by the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center into how pancreatic cancer cells choose to metastasize – spread to other parts of the body – might be the key to treating this type of tumor and increasing patients' life expectancy.
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The research included 17,000 pancreatic cancer patients from around the world whose information was added to a database of the world's largest cancer genetics company.
Professor Ido Wolf and Tami Rubinek, who led the research, found that the mutation that causes the disappearance of the so-called p15 and p16 proteins is found more in liver metastases than in other kinds.
The scientists were also able to prove that when these proteins disappear, the cancer cell changes its properties and metabolic activity in a way that makes it easier for it to grow in the unique environment of the liver.
"It is a vital discovery in the study of pancreatic cancer. We know that pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly types and most patients die from metastases," Wolf said. "Until now, the assumption was that all pancreatic cancers are similar, with no subgroups. This is because the studies that have been conducted until now had very few examples, at most a hundred [patients], while our study is based on the largest pool ever tested.
"The study helps understand the process of metastasis formation and reveals the Achilles heel of the cancer cell. Now, the goal is to find appropriate treatments based on the findings of the study.
"While this discovery will not cure the patient, it will prolong his life because what kills pancreatic patients are the fatal metastases in the rest of the organs. Future treatments could prevent the formation of metastases in the liver and prolong the patient's life."
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