Promising new pancreatic cancer treatment being trialled
Scientists believe they may have found an effective new treatment for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, following promising early trial results of an experimental drug combination.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death across the globe, being referred to as a ‘silent killer’ as it often has no early symptoms. It has a dismally low survival rate in relation to other cancers, and the length of time between diagnosis and death is typically very short, usually less than six months.
The researchers, from Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute, made the breakthrough by mixing the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine with an experimental drug called MRK003. MRK003 blocks an important cell signalling pathway in both pancreatic cancer cells and the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels, supplying tumours with essential nutrients. Studies in mice have shown that the addition of MRK003 to gemcitabine – a drug used commonly in patients with pancreatic cancer – increased the ability of gemcitabine to destroy tumours.
The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, and study author Prof. David Tuveson said: “We’ve discovered why these two drugs together set off a domino effect of molecular activity to switch off cell survival processes and destroy pancreatic cancer cells.”
Patients are currently testing the treatment as part of a clinical trial led by Prof. Duncan Jodrell, the Professor of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Cambridge. He said: “We’re delighted that the results of this important research are now being evaluated in a clinical trial, to test whether this might be a new treatment approach for patients with pancreatic cancer, although it will be some time before we’re able to say how successful this will be in patients.”
In total, about 60 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer will be recruited for the first stage of the clinical trial. One of these is father-of-two Richard Griffiths, 41, from Coventry, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2011. He said: “After six cycles of treatment, a scan showed the tumours had reduced and so I have continued with the treatment. The trial gives you hope – I really feel I can do this with the science behind me.”
Source – BBC News & The Press Association 21 Feb 12
