Pancreatic Tumor Cells Exploit Damaged Pancreatic tissue for Growth
Pancreatic cancer remains a notably challenging disease with limited improvements in prognosis compared to other cancers. New research from the Karolinska Institute reveals that pancreatic tumor cells don’t just proliferate within the traditionally recognized connective tissue environment, but actively invade and grow within damaged areas of or else normal pancreatic tissue, effectively creating a supportive microenvironment.
The study, published in Nature Communications, analyzed tissue samples from 108 patients undergoing surgery at Karolinska University Hospital. Researchers found tumor cells present in the pancreatic tissue responsible for producing digestive enzymes in nearly all samples – tissue that had sustained damage due to tumor growth.
“We observed that tumor cells demonstrate remarkable adaptability, altering their characteristics based on their location,” explains Marco Gerling, a researcher at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology at Karolinska Institutet, who co-led the study with pathologist Carlos Fernández Moro. “Cells within damaged pancreatic areas exhibited different properties than those residing within the connective tissue of the tumor itself.”
Further analysis revealed that tumor cells in the damaged tissue more frequently displayed a “classic” tumor profile,while those in the connective tissue presented a more aggressive profile. Notably, the damaged areas also contained support cells expressing the protein NGFR, previously associated with tissue repair and healing processes.
“This suggests that damaged pancreatic tissue may actively contribute to tumor growth and potentially influence how the cancer responds to treatment,” Gerling concludes.
The research was a collaborative effort involving doctors at Karolinska University Hospital, and researchers from Uppsala University, SciLifeLab, and the University of Bergen. Funding was provided by the Swedish Research Council, the Cancer Foundation, the Swedish society for Medical Research, and Region Stockholm. The researchers reported no conflicts of interest.
