US Scientists discover new early warning sign for deadly pancreatic cancer
However, may soon gain a powerful new ally in the battle against this cancer: a biological 'early warning' system that can signal the presence of precancerous pancreatic cells.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have uncovered a crucial link between inflammation, cellular stress, and the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common and aggressive type of pancreatic cancer.
What is pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells form in the tissues of the pancreas. The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach that plays a crucial role in digestion and blood sugar regulation by producing enzymes and hormones.
While the exact causes are not always clear, risk factors include smoking, family history of pancreatic cancer, long-standing type 2 diabetes, and chronic pancreatitis.
Pancreatic cancer is often difficult to diagnose early because symptoms may be subtle or absent in the early stages.
The deadliness of PDAC
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) originates in the small ducts of the pancreas and carries an incredibly grim prognosis. The average five-year survival rate is less than 10%. According to 2023 estimates, over 62,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed in the US alone. Because it usually shows no symptoms in early stages, PDAC is typically detected only after it has spread, making it hard to treat and nearly impossible to cure.
Scientists have long known that inflammation and cellular stress are involved in the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer. But the exact mechanism remained unclear until now.
The silver lining
In a new
study,
the UC San Diego team focused on a protein called STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), which is activated under stressful or inflammatory conditions in the body. Once turned on, STAT3 triggers a chain of biological reactions that help tumors grow, adapt, resist treatment, and spread.
David Cheresh, a pathologist and co-author of the study, told Newsweek, 'Given the fact that STAT3 plays such an important role in many cancers and the fact that it controls so many genes prompted us to drill down on which genes in particular are associated with cancer development, progression, and drug resistance.'
The team also discovered that under low oxygen conditions and inflammation, both common in cancer, STAT3 activates a gene called Integrin β3 (ITGB3) in pancreas cells.
This gene speeds up tumor growth and helps cancer spread faster. Even more concerning, they found that common treatments like chemotherapy can also trigger STAT3, which may explain why some tumors become resistant over time.
However, the good news is, when researchers blocked STAT3's pathway, they were able to delay the development of tumors, offering a potential new direction for future therapies.
The STRESS UP gene signature
Through this work, the scientists identified 10 genes, including ITGB3, that STAT3 turns on during stress.
Together, they form what the team calls the "STRESS UP" signature, a genetic fingerprint of precancerous activity.
As per Cheresh, 'A significant number of patients are what we refer to as 'inducible' for these STRESS UP genes, including ITGB3.'
But why is that important?
Because it could help doctors predict which patients are likely to develop pancreatic cancer and how aggressive that cancer might become. It could also help determine who is more likely to respond to current treatments.
Cheresh added, 'Having knowledge of this gene signature in patients could be valuable since there are known drugs on the market for other diseases that block STAT3 activation and thereby inhibit the expression of the STRESS UP genes in cancer cells.'
The importance of early detection (and personalized treatment)
The research suggests that STRESS UP could play a role at every stage of pancreatic cancer, from the earliest precancerous lesions to fully drug-resistant tumors and even those that have spread to other organs.
According to Cheresh, 'We observed that the STRESS UP gene signature is linked to various critical stages of cancer development including: tumor initiation as precancerous lesions develop into actual tumors, as tumors develop drug resistance, and as tumors develop an invasive or metastatic behavior [when cancer spreads].'
The researchers are now examining each of the 10 genes in the STRESS UP signature more closely to develop targeted therapies.
One such therapy is already in early clinical trials for patients with drug-resistant cancers.
Cheresh explained, 'We are now examining each of these STRESS UP genes for their specific role in the development and progression of cancer with the hope that new specific therapies can be developed. We already have one such therapeutic just now entering clinical trials for patients with drug-resistant cancers.'
World Lung Cancer Day 2024: Combating The Deadly Disease With Advanced Treatments
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
EV fast chargers have a surprising health downside
Hundreds of public fast chargers are popping up across the US to serve electric vehicle drivers seeking a cleaner alternative to gas-powered cars. But they come with a surprising risk: Charging stations create air pollution. While EVs contribute vastly less to air pollution than combustion-powered vehicles, fast-charging stations are what a recent study called an 'overlooked source of air pollution.' The US added 703 high-speed charging stations in the second quarter, bringing the total across the country to 11,400, according to Energy Department data. Charging firms are planning to install hundreds more before year-end, making it important to address health risks now before the infrastructure becomes entrenched. The problem 'can be solved,' said Yuan Yao, a co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles' Fielding School of Public Health. 'We want to make sure that EV adoption is clean.' The emissions are likely tied to the fans used in direct current fast chargers ' power cabinets. While they help keep equipment cool, the recent study indicates they likely have the unintended side effect of kicking up particles from tires, brakes and dust into the air. Researchers took air quality measurements at 50 direct current fast charging stations in Los Angeles County, California, the majority of which were Tesla Inc. Supercharger locations. The company didn't respond to a request for comment. The average concentration of fine particulate matter in the air at the charging sites was 15.2 micrograms per cubic meter, slightly higher than what researchers found at gas stations and significantly higher than in other urban locations such as parks. Nearly half of the charging sites had daily fine particulate matter emissions that exceeded the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines. (The study focused on non-exhaust emissions and therefore didn't measure many types of pollution related to gas-powered cars.) EV charging companies can include filtration in charging cabinets to mitigate pollution, the study's authors said. They can also avoid putting the chargers near places like schools and residential areas. Some companies say they've already taken measures to reduce the risks of particulate matter. 'On all of our current DC fast chargers, ChargePoint enforces a minimum height for the air intake and exhaust to limit the ingress of dust, debris and water,' said a spokesperson for ChargePoint Holdings Inc. , which operates the largest charging network in the US. The company plans to add air filters to its 'DC chargers to further reduce the risk of dust or water entering the system, or particulates being expelled.' Gas-powered cars are still a much more potent health risk, both because of their emissions and gas stations' environmental impact, said Joe Allen, an air quality expert and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the study. Research shows fueling stations are major sources of volatile organic compounds, a category of chemicals that includes the carcinogen benzene, while internal combustion vehicles produce smog-forming pollutants. Greenhouse gas emissions also adversely affect health due to their influence on climate change. 'I'd much rather be charging my EV than filling my gas-powered car at the gas station,' Allen said. 'As we expand EV charging — especially fast-charging stations — we should also pay attention to potential emissions from the charging equipment itself,' Yao said.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Time of India
EV fast chargers have a surprising health downside
Hundreds of public fast chargers are popping up across the US to serve electric vehicle drivers seeking a cleaner alternative to gas-powered cars. But they come with a surprising risk: Charging stations create air pollution. While EVs contribute vastly less to air pollution than combustion-powered vehicles, fast-charging stations are what a recent study called an 'overlooked source of air pollution.' The US added 703 high-speed charging stations in the second quarter, bringing the total across the country to 11,400, according to Energy Department data. Charging firms are planning to install hundreds more before year-end, making it important to address health risks now before the infrastructure becomes entrenched. The problem 'can be solved,' said Yuan Yao, a co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles' Fielding School of Public Health. 'We want to make sure that EV adoption is clean.' The emissions are likely tied to the fans used in direct current fast chargers ' power cabinets. While they help keep equipment cool, the recent study indicates they likely have the unintended side effect of kicking up particles from tires, brakes and dust into the air. Researchers took air quality measurements at 50 direct current fast charging stations in Los Angeles County, California, the majority of which were Tesla Inc. Supercharger locations. The company didn't respond to a request for comment. The average concentration of fine particulate matter in the air at the charging sites was 15.2 micrograms per cubic meter, slightly higher than what researchers found at gas stations and significantly higher than in other urban locations such as parks. Nearly half of the charging sites had daily fine particulate matter emissions that exceeded the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines. (The study focused on non-exhaust emissions and therefore didn't measure many types of pollution related to gas-powered cars.) EV charging companies can include filtration in charging cabinets to mitigate pollution, the study's authors said. They can also avoid putting the chargers near places like schools and residential areas. Some companies say they've already taken measures to reduce the risks of particulate matter. 'On all of our current DC fast chargers, ChargePoint enforces a minimum height for the air intake and exhaust to limit the ingress of dust, debris and water,' said a spokesperson for ChargePoint Holdings Inc. , which operates the largest charging network in the US. The company plans to add air filters to its 'DC chargers to further reduce the risk of dust or water entering the system, or particulates being expelled.' Gas-powered cars are still a much more potent health risk, both because of their emissions and gas stations' environmental impact, said Joe Allen, an air quality expert and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the study. Research shows fueling stations are major sources of volatile organic compounds, a category of chemicals that includes the carcinogen benzene, while internal combustion vehicles produce smog-forming pollutants. Greenhouse gas emissions also adversely affect health due to their influence on climate change. 'I'd much rather be charging my EV than filling my gas-powered car at the gas station,' Allen said. 'As we expand EV charging — especially fast-charging stations — we should also pay attention to potential emissions from the charging equipment itself,' Yao said.
India.com
3 days ago
- India.com
Women with Down Syndrome Show Faster Alzheimer's Progression Than Men, Study Finds
New Delhi: Women with Down syndrome have more advanced signs of Alzheimer's disease than men do, according to research. However, the average age of Down syndrome diagnosis is the same for both men and women, said the University of California, Irvine. The study suggests that women with Down syndrome may carry a higher burden of beta amyloid and phosphorylated tau -- two hallmark Alzheimer's proteins -- than men. It was particularly high in the occipital lobe in women with sporadic Alzheimer's disease -- the more common, late-onset form of Alzheimer's that occurs without a clear genetic cause. This insight points to the need for more sex-specific approaches in both Alzheimer's research and treatment planning, especially in the design of clinical trials. Women versus men "Understanding selective vulnerabilities within the brain and how these differ in women versus men will help us to better navigate treatment outcomes. We're learning the importance of modifiable risk factors, which include accounting for sex-specific risk," said lead author Elizabeth Andrews, doctoral candidate at the varsity. Alzheimer's disease is the primary cause of death for individuals with Down syndrome, who are genetically predisposed to develop the condition earlier in life. While previous studies observed that women with Down syndrome may live longer with dementia than men with Down syndrome, few have looked closely at whether the underlying brain pathology differs by sex. Researchers examined postmortem brain samples In this study, the researchers examined postmortem brain samples and measured levels of beta amyloid and tau. The findings, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, can shape how we understand and approach treatments for Alzheimer's in this population and beyond. "If women with Down syndrome are further along in disease progression at the time of diagnosis, it could change how we time interventions and interpret outcomes in clinical trials," said Elizabeth Head, Professor of pathology at UC Irvine. "This research could help tailor therapies more effectively, not just for people with Down syndrome, but for the broader Alzheimer's population as well," Head added.
