New Insights into Pancreatic Cancer May Lead to Treatment Breakthrough
New Insights into Pancreatic Cancer May Lead to Treatment Breakthrough
A collaborative research team from Samsung Medical Center and UNIST has published groundbreaking findings in the internationally renowned journal Molecular Cancer (IF=41.444). Their study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze pancreatic cancer cells, uncovering how these cells evolve, metastasize, and establish an immunosuppressive microenvironment. This research provides a molecular-level understanding of the rapid growth and high metastatic nature of pancreatic cancer, as well as the mechanisms behind its resistance to treatment. The findings are expected to significantly contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.
Key findings:
1. Both classical (ETV1) and basal (KRAS) subtypes of pancreatic cancer show activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), resulting in cancer cell metastasis.
2. The basal-like (ETV1) subtypes play a crucial role in decreasing patient survival rates due to its higher presence in tumor tissues.
3. During the progression of pancreatic cancer, an immunosuppressive environment develops, hindering immune cells from effectively attacking cancer cells and thus acclerating tumor growth.