A recent study by scientists at the London-based Institute of Cancer Research yielded promising findings that could potentially be used to control the spread of pancreatic cancer. The researchers are optimistic that this knowledge could be used to find ways to reverse the growth and spread of advanced forms of pancreatic cancer, turning the disease into a less aggressive and easier-to-treat form of cancer. Here is a detailed look at the study and what these findings may mean.
Challenges in Treating Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer
The aggressive form of pancreatic cancer evaluated in this study is also the most common. It spreads extremely aggressively, which makes it very difficult to treat. Pancreatic cancer is generally one of the most aggressive types because it starts to spread in the early stages. However, in the vast majority of patients, pancreatic cancer is discovered in the late stages.
The Institute of Cancer Research study is promising because the researchers believe their findings pave the way for making pancreatic cancer less aggressive. If these findings lead to treatments that slow the spread, the cancer could be contained within the pancreas and doctors could be better able to treat and remove the tumor through the common treatment methods of surgery, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiation.
GREM1: The Protein That Could Regulate Pancreatic Cancer
The findings of this study, which was recently published in the journal Nature, suggest that a protein called GREM1 plays a vital role in regulating the type of cancer cells found in pancreatic cancer. This protein could potentially be used to manipulate cell levels, which could then be used to reverse the ability of the cells to transform into a more aggressive form of the disease. Researchers are hopeful that this discovery could be used to create new and more effective treatments for pancreatic cancer.
Methodology of the Pancreatic Cancer Study
Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London evaluated mice with pancreatic cancer. The gene responsible for creating the GREM1 protein was switched off in the mice samples and in pancreatic organoids, which are mini tumors. The mice used in the study had pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is the most common and aggressive type of pancreatic cancer.
Turning off the GREM1 protein showed promising results. The tumor cells quickly morphed into new shapes and developed new properties that made it easier for them to invade new tissues and move throughout the body. Within 10 days, all of the tumor cells in the mice had transformed into dangerous and invasive cell types.
Switching off the gene also made it easier for tumors in the mice to spread. About 90 percent of the mice without the GREM1 protein developed tumors that eventually spread to the liver. Conversely, cancer spread in just 15 percent of the mice with normal-working GREM1.
The researchers then demonstrated that increasing GREM1 levels helped reverse this process and forced invasive cell types to change into less dangerous types of cells.
The Role of the BMP2 Protein
The Institute of Cancer Research team also found that another protein called BMP2 may play a role in regulating the GREM1 protein. According to the researchers, these two proteins work together to regulate the form that the PDAC cells eventually convert into.
This theory is based on the Turing patterns, a mathematical model discovered by Alan Turing in 1952. These patterns are found in various forms in nature, from seashells to cancer cells. The patterns are observed in different types of cells common in pancreatic cancer tumors. Additional research needs to be done to determine if this model could be applied to other forms of cancer as well.
The Significance of These Findings
The science of this study is still in its very early stages, which means that a great deal of subsequent research must be conducted before oncologists can discover and create treatments that change PDAC cell fates and allow tumors to respond better to therapies. That being said, these findings are still very encouraging, and major discoveries like this are a key component of finding new cancer drugs and treatments.
This study shows that it is possible to reverse cell fate in pancreatic cancer during lab studies, essentially allowing oncologists to reverse the progression of aggressive tumors and make them much easier to treat. A deeper understanding of what causes the spread of aggressive forms of pancreatic cancer opens the door for scientists to identify other ways of making pancreatic cancer less aggressive and more treatable.