vaccines, targeted therapy or microbiome

Pancreatic cancer poses a challenge for science and research as it is still a complex disease, with a high mortality rate, but with an eye on innovative approaches such as vaccines, targeted therapy or the role of the patient’s microbiome and, above all, early diagnosis.

Image of the pancreas from the reference book Pancreatic Cancer: Diet and Quality of Life. Photo courtesy

On occasion World Pancreatic Cancer DayNovember 21, President of Pancreatic Cancer Europe, oncologist Alfredo Carratorecently took part in a conference at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid, organized by Pancreatic Cancer Association (Akanpan)for his tenth anniversary, during which he took an x-ray of this tumor and its problems.

The Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) estimates that 9,986 cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in 2024, a tumor that killed 7,973 people in 2022.

“There is a need to raise public awareness that we are facing a great enemy that will become the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer in the coming years,” warns Dr. Carrato.

According to a researcher at the Ramón y Cajal Institute for Medical Research, at the time of diagnosis, only 10% have localized tumors, 29% have spread to the pancreas and 52% have metastases. .

And to combat this cancer, the expert cites some actions in both research and clinical practice, where chemotherapy remains the standard treatment, reaching 35% of long-term survivors.

• Make programs screening in high-risk groups: the Ramón y Cajal Hospital treated first-degree relatives of pancreatic cancer patients, about 250 families, over ten years to detect the tumor at an early stage, when it is asymptomatic, and stop it. .
• Progress in individual treatment thanks to genomic analysis that identifies tumor mutations against which therapy can be targeted. One of the mutations is KRAS, and one of the goals is to inhibit it.
• Make the tumor sensitive to immunotherapy and develop vaccines and oncolytic viruses “This allows our own immunity to fight this cancer,” says the expert.
• Role microbiome or a set of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi…) that live in the body of each patient, have their own composition and can contribute to carcinogenesis or enhance immunity.
• Take action on operationa problem due to the complexity of the pancreas, which requires specialized equipment, and only 15-20% of those diagnosed are candidates.

Problems with pancreatic cancer, a tumor with “unique biology, worse than others.” One reason is that the tumor precursor cells of this tumor are already identified and circulating in the blood before the tumor exists as such in the gland.

“We are trying to make progress against a disease that is the hardest to defeat. It requires greater investment and awareness among policy makers developing health strategies so that there is a network, a useful infrastructure for patients, and they receive the best of treatments,” defends Dr. Alfredo Carrato.

Patients demand

This conference, organized by Acanpan, reflects the work that this association has carried out for ten years to advance research and care for patients with pancreatic cancer.

“Only 8% survive five years after diagnosis,” said Acanpan President Cristina Sandin, citing 2022 data that, although low, represents a 5% increase over the past decade.

For this reason, patients, families, doctors and researchers want to continue to move forward and propose the following goals:

• The need to promote research new diagnostic and screening routes to achieve early diagnosis, which is directly related to increased survival.
• The importance of specialist training Primary care and insist on spreading the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
• The need to create network of help centers for pancreatic cancer, as well as coordinated protocols across all disciplines.
• Let doctors, researchers and patient associations come together to create joint plan present to authorities, thereby enhancing our ability to influence institutions.