‘Target’ for treatment for hard-to-treat cancer discovered by scientists

Scientists have uncovered a “target” for drug treatments which could potentially stop pancreatic cancer in its tracks.

Experts said the finding brings “hope” for better outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.

Almost 11,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the UK.

A recent audit of pancreatic cancer in England and Wales found that the majority of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed at a late stage – 62% of patients in England and 65% of patients in Wales are diagnosed at stage four.

Survival rates are particularly poor for this type of cancer – some 22% do not survive for 30 days after diagnosis in England compared to 21% in Wales.

The new study looked into the most aggressive and most common form of this cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Researchers found that blocking a protein, known as SPP1, can stop the spread of the cancer and increase survival time in a series of experiments.

They said the finding could one day lead to drug treatments targeting the protein.

Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research in London, examined genetic data from the tumours of 644 patients and found that levels of the SPP1 protein were raised in the advanced stages of pancreatic cancer, compared with earlier stages of cancer.

Patients with higher levels of SPP1 had worse outcomes, according to the research, which has been published in the journal Nature.

The team, funded by The ICR and Breast Cancer Now, also grew lab-grown mini tumours designed to model the way cancer behaves in the human body.

They found that when they “switched off” the gene to make the SPP1 protein, fewer and smaller tumours developed than when the protein was present.

The researchers also found that this protein played a key role in mice with PDAC.

They found that “switching off” SPP1 significantly extended survival among mice – none of the mice with the gene survived past 50 days, whereas 20% of the mice without the gene survived to 400 days, The ICR said.

They also found that the mice with the SPP1 gene switched off had tumours which did not spread.

Blocking SPP1 also appeared to raise the levels of another protein called GREM1, which has previously been linked to reducing pancreatic cancer spread when it is found in higher concentrations.

Axel Behrens, professor of stem cell biology at The ICR, said: “Our research has identified a protein that, when blocked, can prevent cancer from spreading around the body and can hopefully keep patients living well for longer.

“The next step for this research will be to develop a drug that can precisely target the protein.”

Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of The ICR, added: “Pancreatic cancer remains a devastating diagnosis for patients, as its most common form spreads aggressively and is difficult to treat.

“This exciting research offers hope, identifying a clear target to halt the spread of the disease.

“It’s an important step toward more effective treatments, and I look forward to future drug discovery efforts building on these findings to provide new options to patients in urgent need.”

Anna Jewell, director of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “Over half of people diagnosed with this devastating disease die within just three months, an appalling survival rate that has barely changed since the 1970s.

“We desperately need new, more effective treatments, and this study sheds new light on a key protein that helps pancreatic cancer spread around the body so rapidly.

“These promising findings could pave the way for the development of new drugs to target this protein and halt the cancer’s progress.

“Pancreatic cancer is very aggressive. Once discovered it’s often so advanced that seven in ten people receive no active treatment – not even chemotherapy.

“Stopping the disease from spreading could give many more people the chance of lifesaving surgery or more precious time with their loved ones.”