Researchers in Spain have reported a promising breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic cancer, a disease with a notoriously poor prognosis. A new study, conducted by the Spanish National Cancer Research center (CNIO) and published in *PNAS*, details a triple-drug therapy that demonstrated complete and durable elimination of cancerous cells in experimental models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common and aggressive form of the disease.[[1]] This research offers a potential new approach too overcoming treatment resistance, a major challenge in pancreatic cancer care.
A new avenue of hope has emerged in the fight against pancreatic cancer, with research conducted in Spain revealing a potential strategy to halt the disease’s progression. Mariano Barbacid, director of the Experimental Oncology group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), announced findings from a study on mice demonstrating the elimination of cancerous cells associated with the most common and aggressive form of the disease, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
The Research
The research showed a significant reduction in therapy side effects, alongside an unprecedented duration of tumor cell elimination. “For the first time,” Barbacid explained, “we have achieved a complete, durable, and low-toxicity response against pancreatic cancer in experimental models. These results suggest that a combined therapy approach could alter the course of this disease.”
The Drug Combination
Barbacid presented the results alongside co-lead author Carmen Guerra, and first authors Vasiliki Liaki and Sara Barrambana, during a press conference. The study was published in Pnas (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). The treatment’s success hinges on a combination of three drugs targeting key mechanisms that fuel tumor growth: two that inhibit Egfr and Stat3 – proteins crucial in pancreatic cancer – and one that targets the oncogene Kras, a primary driver of the disease. Regarding next steps, Barbacid clarified: “It’s important to understand that, while experimental results like these have never been obtained before, we are not yet in a position to conduct clinical trials with the triple therapy.”
“The first drugs targeting molecular targets in pancreatic cancer were approved in 2021, after half a century without improvements over conventional chemotherapy,” researchers noted on the CNIO website. “These new drugs block the action of Kras, a gene mutated in 90% of patients with pancreatic cancer; however, their effectiveness is modest because after a few months the tumor becomes resistant. This issue of drug resistance to Kras inhibitors is what the new study addresses, a pioneering effort both in Kras research and in the development of animal models for pancreatic cancer.”
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