SCIENTISTS have made an extraordinary breakthrough in pancreatic cancer care.
A two-in-one treatment has been developed in a study – which could improve survival, and even cure, one of the deadliest cancers.
UK researchers wanted to combine two treatments, to demonstrate the “anti-cancer benefit” of both working together.
Experts at the Institute of Cancer Research in London used immunotherapy – which involves a drug sparking the immune system to fight cancer.
But while this often works well in other cancers, pancreatic cancer has stronger defences.
They also used high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) – which blasts the tumour with sound wave pulses.
This is key, as it hits the thick outer layer surrounding pancreatic cancers, which can stop immunotherapy.
HIFU results in tiny bubbles in the cancer cells, which create puncture holes in the barrier, allowing the drugs to pour in and get fighting.
The scientists used mice with pancreatic tumours to see how the double whammy of the combined treatment went.
In the tests, the rodents who had this care lived 25 per cent longer than the ones just given one of the treatments.
The research, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, also found they lived 40 per cent longer than mice not treated at all.
Study lead Professor Gail ter Haar, Professor of Therapeutic Ultrasound at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “Our study shows that mice with pancreatic cancers lived longer when treated with a combination of pulsed HIFU and antibodies to mimic the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
“Their tumours also showed evidence of cavitation activity, due to HIFU’s ability to rapidly expand and collapse tiny microbubbles within the tumour – thus reducing tumour integrity and creating more space for the infiltration of drugs and cancer-killing immune cells.
“This is the first ever study to show the anti-cancer benefit of these two treatments, HIFU in combination with immunotherapy, in pancreatic cancer.
“This study paves the way for clinical trials of treating pancreatic cancer patients with HIFU, and we will be developing HIFU-delivery platforms to achieve that.”
Study author Dr Petros Mouratidis, Higher Scientific Officer in Therapeutic Ultrasound at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “High intensity focused ultrasound has shown potential in a range of cancer types and is of particular interest in pancreatic cancer – because tumours can be hard to access for surgery, and sound waves can physically weaken tumours and could allow other treatments, including immunotherapies, to have greater effect.
“We hope our study ultimately leads to a new type of treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer.”
The pancreas is an elongated gland located behind the stomach and under the liver.
It has two main functions: dripping digestive enzymes into the gut to help break down food, and releasing the hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.
Pancreatic cancer occurs when malignant – cancerous – cells form in the tissues of the pancreas.
Common symptoms include abdominal and back pain, unexplained weight loss and jaundice.
Other symptoms can include:
- loss of appetite
- changes to bowel habits such as diarrhoea or constipation
- indigestion
- nausea and vomiting
- difficulty swallowing
- Patients may also suffer the symptoms of diabetes because pancreatic disease stops the production of insulin.
Thousands of people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK every year.
It is more common in older people and rare in people under 40.
Pancreatic cancer is the eleventh most common type of cancer in the UK and the sixth highest cause of cancer death.
The cancer has the lowest survival rate of any common cancer in the UK – with more than half of patients dying within three months of diagnosis.
