Khaberni - A team of scientists has come closer to a treatment for pancreatic cancer after discovering an "early warning signal" that appears years before symptoms emerge.
This achievement could soon enable doctors to detect this deadly disease in its early stages, when treatment is most effective.
The study, led by scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, showed that precancerous cells in the pancreas cluster to form "small groups" within the tissue that target neighboring immune cells, weakening the body's ability to fight cancer very early on.
The research team used advanced imaging techniques to examine pancreatic tissue samples from mice and humans, finding that early cell clustering facilitates genetic patterns that suppress immune activity, indicating that cancer may begin to evade the immune system long before it fully develops.
Dr. Sharona Tornovsky-Baba, an immunologist involved in the study, said, "Understanding how these lesions form and progress can help us identify high-risk cases and design interventions to prevent cancer progression."
So far, scientists have observed similar cellular clusters and immune responses in human tissues, which reinforces the importance of the findings beyond mouse experiments. The team hopes that these results will provide a clearer picture of early changes in pancreatic cancer, highlighting the role of immune interactions before symptoms appear.
Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest types of cancer, with only a quarter of patients living more than a year after diagnosis, often discovered at a late stage due to the lack of early symptoms. The risk increases with age, with about half of the cases diagnosed in people over the age of 75, but experts have noted an increase in cases among younger demographics, particularly women, which is primarily associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common and deadly form of the disease.
Other risk factors include: smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity. The location of the pancreas behind the stomach and its relatively small size make early detection of tumors difficult.
