Cure for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic Cancer Survey--Post Readers Respond

Over 1,500 Post readers participated in the "Pancreatic Cancer Survey" published in previous issues of the Post and on our Web site at satevepost.org. The survey is helping key researchers at two of the country's leading institutions investigating the genetics of the disease--Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska.

After reviewing the survey responses, the Post found that among respondents, the average age of onset of pancreatic cancer for females was age 70; for males, age 65. In line with current known or suspected risk factors for cancer, 808 respondents (over 50 percent) who developed pancreatic cancer were smokers. The second-highest high-risk group represented those--833 respondents--who reported consuming a high-fat diet. The tabulated responses from the surveys appear on page 35.

The outstanding response to the series of articles that the Post featured on pancreatic cancer generated grateful responses from across the country--both from families who have lost loved ones to the disease and survivors who offered support and suggestions to others coping with the all-too-often fatal cancer.

Another Benefit of Aspirin

The humble aspirin is making a royal comeback. Today, millions of Americans take a baby aspirin to help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and (more recently) colon cancer.

Now, researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that the 100-plus-year-old drug may also be helpful in preventing pancreatic cancer. Dr. Kristin Anderson and colleagues at the School of Public Health and Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota studied the use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) in a group of over 28,000 women who took part in the Iowa Women's Health Study over seven years. In findings reported in a recent issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the team discovered that women who took aspirin experienced a 43 percent lower rate of pancreatic cancers than nonusers, and the risk of cancer declined with increased frequency of aspirin use.

"There is strong evidence to suggest that using aspirin may help in preventing pancreatic cancer," said lead author Dr. Kristin Anderson. "What's most encouraging is that we've seen these benefits in women who've taken aspirin two to five times per week."

Of the 80 cases of pancreatic cancer found in the study, 33 were women who never used aspirin, and 27 percent used the over-the-counter remedy less than once a week. Laboratory studies indicated that other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may not have the same effect. Experts in the field have found the study intriguing. They hope the findings will generate more studies on aspirin's benefit in lowering the risk of this often-deadly cancer but advise patients to consult with a physician before beginning any treatment course.

New Approaches to Treatment With Gene Therapy

Japanese researchers are exploring the use of gene therapy in treating pancreatic cancer and observing "dramatic" results in shrinking pancreatic tumors in laboratory experiments. In a recent issue of the International Journal of Cancer, Dr. Masaru Oonuma and colleagues at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan, reported on the novel therapy, using an approach targeted to specific cancer-causing genes.

In the study, the team first injected human-derived pancreatic cancer cells into mice. When the pancreatic cancer spread into surrounding body tissues, the researchers injected a harmless virus that carried, or "piggybacked," a compound called uracil phosphoribosyl transferase (UPRT) to the site of malignancy. The scientists discovered that UPRT effectively "switches on" a gene that strives to overcome the cancer cell's resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.

One of the compounds used in the experiment was 5-fluorouracil (5FU), a longstanding agent used to treat the aggressive cancer. The researchers noted that the mice treated with a combination of gene therapy plus 5FU "showed a dramatic tumor reduction without adverse effects." The tumor shrinkage occurred not only within the pancreas but also in areas beyond the organ, leaving surrounding tissues unharmed.