Scientists at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) have taken a major step forward in pancreatic cancer research. By mapping a healthy pancreas in detail down to the cellular level, they discovered that specific, rare cells in the healthy organ already bear strong similarities to the most aggressive tumour cells. The fundamental discovery, published in the leading journal Gut, opens new doors for early detection and targeted treatment of the deadly disease.
Pancreatic cancer is known to be one of the most aggressive and most difficult to treat. This is partly because the biological background of the different tumour types was largely unclear. Traditionally, the tissue of the drainage ducts in the pancreas - where most tumours originate - was considered a simple structure with only one basic type of cells. The team at the Translational Oncology Research Centre at the VUB, led by Professor Dr Ilse Rooman, has now definitively changed this picture.
PhD researcher Jan-Lars Van den Bossche, together with his colleagues, accurately mapped the healthy human pancreas. Using new, advanced technologies, the researchers discovered that the large drainage tubes can have a layered structure. In these, they found a rare cell group that possesses specific properties previously attributed exclusively to aggressive cancer cells.
"Understanding cancer starts with knowing about the healthy organ," Prof Rooman explains. "Now that we know that these cells are already naturally present, we can start investigating whether they play a role in the development of the tumour. This may offer opportunities for early detection."
When the scientists compared their new data with tissue from patients with pancreatic cancer, major differences were revealed. In the most common variant (PDAC), the original organisation of the cells was found to be completely obliterated. This contrasts with the rarer but extremely aggressive adenosquamous carcinoma (ASCP). Instead, in ASCP tumours, the specific cell types and their exact spatial structure from the healthy pancreas were found to be almost perfectly preserved.
The results have major implications for future research and therapy. Because patients with the rarer ASCP variant are currently treated exactly the same as patients with the classical variant, the researchers argue for a separate approach. The exposed cell structures offer a new perspective to start targeting them more specifically
