U-M researchers ID gene involved in pancreatic cancerMarch 03, 2009ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a gene that is overexpressed in 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, the most deadly type of cancer. Expression of the gene, Ataxia Telangiectasia Group D Complementing gene, called ATDC, is on average 20 times higher in pancreatic cancer cells than in cells from a normal pancreas. What's more, the gene appears to make pancreatic cancer cells resistant to current therapies. "One of the challenges in pancreatic cancer is that it is biologically aggressive and it does not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation. We found that ATDC not only causes the cancer cells to grow faster and be more aggressive, but it also makes the cancer cells particularly resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. By targeting this gene, we may be able to make cancer cells more sensitive to the therapies we already have in hand," says senior study author Diane Simeone, M.D., director of the Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Clinic at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. Results of the study appear in the March issue of Cancer Cell. The researchers injected into mice tumor cells expressing ATDC and compared that to a separate group of mice injected with tumor cells in which ATDC was suppressed. In the ATDC-expressing group, tumors grew in all the samples and were significantly larger and starting to metastasize, or spread. In the group in which ATDC was not expressed, only minimal signs of tumor growth were seen after 60 days. "This particular gene promotes the biologic aggressiveness of the cancer," says Simeone, who is also Lazar J. Greenfield Professor of Surgery and Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the U-M Medical School. In addition, the researchers found that ATDC is most highly expressed at the point when pre-cancerous cells become malignant. ATDC was also linked to increased levels of a signaling protein called beta-catenin, which is known to play a key role in cancer development. Researchers believe ATDC has potential as a target for developing future therapies. It could also help doctors determine when a patient has pancreatic cancer and when it's chronic pancreatitis, a diagnosis that's often difficult to make without surgery. In some cases, this may allow patients to avoid an operation. ATDC also appears to be involved in other cancer types, including bladder cancer and lung cancer. Researchers are continuing to investigate its role. This research was done in the laboratory. No tests or therapies related to ATDC are available at this time. Pancreatic cancer statistics: 37,680 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and 34,290 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society Additional authors: Lidong Wang, David G. Heidt, Cheong J. Lee, Huibin Yang, Eric R. Fearon and Mats Ljungman from U-M; Craig D. Logsdon from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; and Lizhi Zhang from the Mayo Clinic. University of Michigan Health System |
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| Related Pancreatic Cancer Current Events and Pancreatic Cancer News Articles Soft drink consumption may increase risk of pancreatic cancer Consuming two or more soft drinks per week increased the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by nearly twofold compared to individuals who did not consume soft drinks, according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Inflammation marker related to obesity is elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer The levels of an inflammatory chemokine were significantly elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer who were extremely obese, according to research conducted by scientists at the Jefferson Pancreatic, Biliary and Related Cancers Center. Scientists show how molecular switch helps pancreatic cancer beat drugs Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have found one reason that pancreatic cancer tumors are so difficult to treat with drugs. Oral COTI-2 is effective in a second animal model of human pancreatic cancer Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (COTI) (TSX Venture: COT)announced more positive results today from animal experiments carried out at a prominent Canadian cancer research facility. Zebrafish journal publishes cancer biology special issue The zebrafish, a translucent fish often used as a model of human development and disease, offers unique advantages for studying the cause, growth, and spread of tumors using strategies and methods presented in the current "Cancer Biology" special issue of Zebrafish. Smokeless tobacco called 'moist snuff' is contaminated with harmful substances A new study on the smokeless tobacco product called moist snuff - placed between lip and gum - has led scientists in Minnesota to urge the tobacco industry to change manufacturing practices to reduce snuff's content of carcinogens. Combining nanotubes and antibodies for breast cancer 'search and destroy' missions Single-walled nanotubes-cylinders of carbon about a nanometer in diameter-have been highly touted for potential applications such as ultrastrong fibers, electrical wires in molecular devices, or hydrogen storage components for fuel cells. Rare pancreatic cancer patients may live longer when treated with radiation therapy Radiation therapy is effective in achieving local control and palliation in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNTs), despite such tumors being commonly considered resistant to radiation therapy. African-Americans with colorectal cancer have poorer outcomes, lower survival rates New research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that African-American patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease and are less likely to undergo surgical procedures compared with Caucasians, suggesting that improvements in screening and rates of operation may reduce differences in colorectal cancer outcomes for African-Americans. Discovery offers potential new pancreatic cancer treatment Tiny particles that can carry drugs and target cancer cells may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer. New research to be presented in November at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles reveals that tumor-penetrating microparticles (TPM) have been specifically designed to break through hard-to-infiltrate barriers and deliver drugs more effectively and efficiently than the standard form of chemotherapy such as those injected through a vein. More Pancreatic Cancer Current Events and Pancreatic Cancer News Articles |
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