Pancreatic Cancer - Biotech, Pharma and Life Science Channel
The pancreas secretes a number of important hormones into the digestive tract and the blood stream. Cancers are most commonly exocrine than endocrine (neuroendocrine) tumors. Functional tumors secrete hormones; Insulinoma, Gastrinoma, Somatostatinoma, VIPoma and Glucagonoma. In these cases the symptoms are determined by the action of the hormones.
Symptoms can include weight loss, abdominal pain and jaundice. There are also a number of non-specific symptoms (diabetes, itching and sickness).
Pancreatic cancer research is active. A possible genetic link may exist; BRCA2 and p16 mutations are known to increase risk of pancreatic cancer, K-ras is found in 80% of cases (even non-familial ones). Other risk factors siuch as hereditary pancreatitis need to be found, to increase screening options for patients.
Diagnosis may in the future be done by biopsy; Mcm5 (minichromosome maintenance protein) protein test. Chemotherapy is being developed in tablet form, reducing the interruption to a patients life, and more drugs are being developed. Cyberknife is a new type of radiotherapy machine used for giving stereotactic radiotherapy to cancers that doctors cannot remove with surgery, although its effectiveness it not yet known.
Internal Radiotherapy is looking at gemcitabine chemotherapy in combination with 32P BioSilicon injections - results are due soon. Immunotherapy is another active area of research, with a number of vaccines in clinical trials.
Source; Adapted from Cancer Research UK
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PubMed Articles
Clinical significance of tumor cavitation (TC) prior to and following first-line chemotherapy of lung cancer is unclear. An evaluation of the incidence and prognostic role of TC among treatment naive...
Prognostic value of TMPRSS4 expression in patients with breast cancer.
Transmembrane protease, serine 4 (TMPRSS4), is a novel type II transmembrane serine protease that is highly expressed on the cell surface in pancreatic, thyroid, lung, and other cancer tissues, althou...
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. The disease remains a public health concern as recent evidence indicates that the breast cancer burden has increased mainly in developing an...
Expression and prognostic significance of GATA-binding protein 2 in colorectal cancer.
GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2) is a nuclear transcription factor that plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. High levels of GATA2 expression are correlated with poor survival outcomes in many types o...
Clinical significance of serum adipokines levels in lung cancer.
Adipokines have a significant effect on metabolism, immunoinflammatory responses as well as on carcinogenesis; therefore, we aimed at evaluating their potential predictive and prognostic significance...
p73 gene shares structural and functional similarities to p53 and plays an important role in modulating cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. A common non-coding polymorphism of p73 G4C14-to-A4T14 (rs22739...
Prognostic value of proliferation markers expression in breast cancer.
In this study, immunohistochemical expression of five proliferation markers: Ki-67, aurora-A kinase, survivin, B-Myb and cyclin B1, was analyzed. Consecutive 215 tumor samples from breast cancer patie...
Clinical implications of CIP2A protein expression in breast cancer.
The aim of this work is to study the expression and regulatory effects of CIP2A protein in breast cancer and the correlation between CIP2A protein expression and the prognosis of breast cancer. The CI...
CYP2A6, CYP1A1, and CYP2D6 polymorphisms in lung cancer patients from Central South China.
Lung cancer is a common cause of cancer-related death. The link between risk of lung cancer susceptibility and genetic polymorphisms in metabolic enzymes is well documented. In this study, the relatio...
IL-32 expression is an independent prognostic marker for gastric cancer.
A strong link between inflammation and gastrointestinal cancer has been demonstrated. Interleukin (IL)-32 is a recently described pro-inflammatory cytokine characterized by the induction of nuclear fa...
News Articles
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Molecular marker from pancreatic 'juices' helps identify pancreatic cancer
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[Comment] Peripherally inserted catheters: all that glitters is not gold
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Videos
Pancreatic Cancer - About Pancreatic Cancer
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Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Ultrasound, High-intensity Focused, Transrectal
Tissue ablation of the PROSTATE performed by ultrasound from a transducer placed in the RECTUM. The procedure is used to treat prostate cancer (PROSTATIC NEOPLASMS) and benign prostatic hypertrophy (PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA).
Receptor, Cholecystokinin A
A subtype of cholecystokinin receptor found primarily in the PANCREAS; STOMACH; INTESTINE; and GALLBLADDER. It plays a role in regulating digestive functions such as gallbladder contraction, pancreatic enzyme secretion and absorption in the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT.
Enterocolitis, Neutropenic
A syndrome characterized by inflammation in the ILEUM, the CECUM, and the ASCENDING COLON. It is observed in cancer patients with CHEMOTHERAPY-induced NEUTROPENIA or in other immunocompromised individuals (IMMUNOCOMPROMISED HOST).
Persistent Hyperinsulinemia Hypoglycemia Of Infancy
A form of nontransient HYPOGLYCEMIA, unique to infancy, due to autosomal recessive mutations of the sulfonylurea receptor gene on CHROMOSOME 11. Defects in the sulfonylurea receptors (ATP-BINDING CASSETTE TRANSPORTERS) on the PANCREATIC BETA CELLS prevent negative feedback of GLUCOSE-regulated INSULIN release thus resulting in HYPERINSULINEMIA. Clinical phenotype includes SEIZURES; COMA; and often large BIRTH WEIGHT for GESTATIONAL AGE.
Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction
Organic or functional motility disorder involving the SPHINCTER OF ODDI and associated with biliary COLIC. Pathological changes are most often seen in the COMMON BILE DUCT sphincter, and less commonly the PANCREATIC DUCT sphincter.
