SHILLONG:
There are a number of cancers that can affect the human body, and while some are curable, others are not so easy to get rid of and can be fatal. Among the many, is pancreatic cancer, a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the pancreas.
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose early, as people with it tend to show little to no symptoms. It is often brought about by smoking and also depends on health history. The symptoms that show up in a person include jaundice, pain, and weight loss.
With little to no chance of eradicating the cancer from the body of an infected person, it comes as good news to know that there is a way to stop progress of the disease.
Research by experts from Florida University in the US, have discovered a way to reverse a key process involved in the progression of the illness, which is the first time that researchers have been able to do.
In a paper on Cell Death Discovery, an online-only, open access journal, dedicated to publishing research, the experts wrote that they have been able to identify two small molecules that hinder precancerous cells.
Using two drugs developed in a lab to reverse a process called acinar ductal metaplasia (ADM), which is what happens before the cancer takes hold, they looked at models with animal cells with pancreatic tissue from a healthy human.
Introducing the cells to two compounds, the ductal cells responded by changing back to so-called acinar cells, which is key, as it is these cells that can be prevented when they are maintained in their natural state.
In cases of pancreatic cancer, ADM occurs due to inflammation, which is a defense mechanism to avoid the pancreas destroying itself. If during ADM a cell mutates, these can become cancerous and eventually develop into cancer.
“This research may lead to developing treatments for patients who are at a high risk for pancreatic cancer development,” thesun.co.uk. quoted the study’s senior author and chair of the department of pharmaceutics in the UF College of Pharmacy, Tom Schmittgen, as saying.
Function of pancreas in our body:
The pancreas is located behind the stomach and under the liver, and it has two main functions: dripping digestive enzymes into the gut to help break down food, and releasing the hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.