New research from the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center found biological differences in pancreatic cancer tumors and immune environments, opening the possibility for more personalized treatments for different populations.
We're headed toward forecasting, the ability to better predict what will happen to every patient in their journey before it happens.
Nina Steele, PhD
Additionally, a type of immune cell called B cells within pancreatic tumor microenvironments are different between BAA and NAA populations, with the B cells within BAA samples found to be more abundant but also more immunosuppressive (dampening the body's natural immune response to fight the cancer).
"This may mean the B cells are helping the cancer cells hide in this patient population," Steele said. "This could help explain why this population is more likely to get the cancer, and why it's worse when they get it, but more work is needed on pancreas tissues from individuals that do not have cancer."
Steele said the study provides a framework for further research into the mechanisms behind these biological differences across populations and how the differences affect outcomes.
The research is part of a larger trend of personalized medicine, with more detailed data leading to specific treatments to meet the individual needs of patients. Further research could even potentially lead to the classification of entirely new subtypes of pancreatic cancer, similar to what has occurred in breast and prostate cancer.
"The Cancer Center is here to serve everybody, and to find the answers that help all patients," Steele said. "The hope is to know more about the characteristics of the cancer cells earlier on, so that we have a plan of attack for what therapies come after current standards of care in a very rational way. We're headed toward forecasting, the ability to better predict what will happen to every patient in their journey before it happens."
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This study was funded by grants from the Lustgarten Foundation and the Sky Foundation and National Cancer Institute grant No. R00CA263154 awarded to Steele. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Coauthors of the study include Yuesong Wu, Daniel James Sålas-Escabillas, Aoqi Xie, Ian M. Loveless, Yasmine Baca, Kailee Hartway, Rama Shankar, Samuel D. Zwernik, Logan Schneider, Ashley George, Madison George, Allison Wombwell, Julie M. Clark, David S. Kwon, Bin Chen, Benjamin H. Hinrichs, Ralph Francescone, Débora Barbosa Vendramini-Costa, Kerem Ozcan, Zhengfan Xu, Ling Huang, Brian K. Theisen, Yuehua Cui and Howard C. Crawford.
Featured photo at top of pancreatic cancer cell courtesy of the National Cancer Institute/Unsplash.
