Continuously evolving cells help pancreatic cancer evade treatment and spread
Researchers at NYU Langone Health have discovered that pancreatic cancer cells continuously reconfigure their DNA to resist treatment and metastasize. This genetic plasticity allows the cancer to shift between aggressive and less aggressive subtypes, complicating therapeutic efforts.
Why it matters
This discovery provides a new target for cancer research, potentially leading to more effective treatments for one of the most lethal forms of the disease.
edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Pancreatic cancer cells (blue) growing as a sphere encased in membranes (red). Credit: National Cancer Institute An analysis of nearly half a million cells from dozens of patients' tumors reveals how cancer cells continuously reshape their genetic makeup over time, enabling them to evade treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, the study focused on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, an often difficult-to-treat disease known to kill nearly 85% of people within five years of diagnosis.
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