Breakthrough Research Offers Hope for Halting Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer Spread
London, UK – Scientists have identified a protein that, when blocked, can prevent pancreatic cancer from spreading, offering a potential new avenue for treatment of the aggressive disease, according to research published today. The discovery, funded by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and breast Cancer Now, centers on the protein SPP1 and its role in facilitating cancer metastasis.
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously arduous to treat, with a five-year survival rate of just 10% in the UK. Its aggressive nature lies in its tendency to spread rapidly, ofen before symptoms even appear. Researchers at the ICR utilized lab-grown “mini tumours” – designed to mimic the behavior of cancer in the human body – to investigate the mechanisms driving this spread. They found that blocking SPP1 significantly reduced the ability of cancer cells to migrate.
“Our research has identified a protein that,when blocked,can prevent cancer from spreading around the body and can hopefully keep patients living well for longer,” said Professor Axel Behrens,a professor of stem cell biology at the ICR. “The next step for this research will be to develop a drug that can precisely target the protein.”
The study also revealed that inhibiting SPP1 led to increased levels of GREM1, another protein previously linked to reduced pancreatic cancer spread.
“Pancreatic cancer remains a devastating diagnosis for patients, as its most common form spreads aggressively and is difficult to treat,” added Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of the ICR. “This exciting research offers hope,identifying a clear target to halt the spread of the disease.”
Currently, over half of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis, a statistic that has remained largely unchanged as the 1970s. Seven in ten patients receive no active treatment, even chemotherapy, due to the advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis.
Anna Jewell, director of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, emphasized the urgency of finding new treatments. “We desperately need new, more effective treatments, and this study sheds new light on a key protein that helps pancreatic cancer spread around the body so rapidly. These promising findings could pave the way for the development of new drugs to target this protein and halt the cancer’s progress.”
Researchers are now focused on developing a drug capable of specifically targeting SPP1, with the hope of offering new treatment options for patients facing this challenging diagnosis.
