Recent Advances Bring Hope Of New Effective Therapies For Pancreatic Cancer

In an important study done by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine it was shown that the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer can be prevented by the use of radioactive bacteria. In this work, the radioisotopes used to treat cancer were incorporated into bacteria that carried them directly to the pancreatic cancer cells. As a result of this targeted delivery, the cases of secondary tumors went down dramatically, thus significantly reducing the chances of metastases to form. The researchers reported almost 90 per cent reduction of metastasis. What was even more encouraging is that this approach is effective against already existing aggressive forms of metastatic pancreatic cancer. The findings give hope that a new and effective approach to the pancreatic cancer treatment finally can be seen on the horizon.

Surprising success of hypertension drugs in treating cancer

Significant advances were recently made in the development of new pharmaceutical agents against cancer. But the old drugs should not be discarded. A good example of novel use for a well-established drug was recently published in journal Nature Communications.  A safe and well-tolerated drug against blood pressure proved to be useful as an anti-cancer agent. One of the major problems in dealing with the cancerous tissues is the lack of blood vessels supplying the tumors. Slow growth of blood vessels limits the growth of tumors but also reduces the efficiency of anti-cancer drugs that cannot be effectively delivered to the cancer cells. The drugs against blood pressure can open up the blood vessels by relaxing the smooth muscles surrounding them. The simultaneous administration of drugs against cancer and blood pressure drugs can make standard chemotherapy much more effective. 

A clinical trial involving human pancreatic cancer patients has now been initiated. Scientists expect that this new therapeutic approach can improve the survival of patients by several years.

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Preventive strategies and lifestyle modifications

As with many other cancers, the risk of pancreatic cancer can be reduced by the lifestyle modifications. It has been found that smoking is one of the major triggering factors behind the development of pancreatic cancer and is implicated in 15-20 % of all cases. Chronic pancreatitis, a condition often associated with obesity, is another risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

Recently, it has been suggested that some vitamins can significantly decrease the pancreatic cancer risk due to their potent anti-oxidant activities. Vitamin D in particular has been used to fight against many different cancer types including that of the pancreas. Some of the dietary supplements rich in vitamin B (B6, folate, B12) can also combat the menace of pancreatic cancer.

Obviously, the current preventive strategies do not guarantee the escape from cancer. That is why the development of new effective methods for treating pancreatic cancer remains high on the agenda.