Pancreatic cancer is a formidable challenge in modern medicine,often diagnosed at a late stage and with limited effective treatment options. However,a new collaborative effort between Argentinian and French scientists and physicians is offering a glimmer of hope for patients facing this aggressive disease. Approximately 5,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in argentina alone, and projections indicate pancreatic cancer will become the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide by 2030 [[1]]. This report details the progress being made toward earlier detection and innovative therapies, spearheaded by the Franco-Argentine Network for the Study and Treatment of pancreatic Cancer.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most aggressive and challenging diseases in modern medicine. This is largely due to the fact that it’s often detected at a late stage, when effective treatment options are limited. However, a collaborative network of Argentinian and French scientists and physicians is working to change that outlook, highlighting therapeutic advances that offer a “real window of hope” for the future.
Approximately 5,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed annually in Argentina. Incidence rates are rising both there and globally, and projections estimate that by 2030, pancreatic cancer will become the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, surpassed only by lung cancer. Early detection is crucial for improving outcomes in any cancer, but particularly for this difficult-to-treat disease.
Adenocarcinoma ductal de páncreas, el más frecuente
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The most common type of pancreatic tumor – though not the only one – is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). At the time of diagnosis, 80 to 85% of patients already have advanced disease.
Several factors contribute to this late-stage diagnosis. The disease often presents with non-specific symptoms – those common to other conditions – only in its later stages. Additionally, routine screening for pancreatic cancer in the general population is not currently recommended, unlike screening programs for breast or colon cancer. This lack of early detection opportunities significantly impacts treatment success.
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The Franco-Argentine Network for the Study and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer is focused on advancing progress in all aspects of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. “The goal is to substantially improve the survival rate of this disease through strategies for screening, early diagnosis, the development of clinical practice guidelines, and strengthening care throughout Argentina,” explained Juan Iovanna and Eduardo Chuluyan, representing the binational network, to Clarín.
The program involves the participation of INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) in Marseille and receives support from the French Government through the French Institute in Argentina and the Embassy in Buenos Aires.
Iovanna, who has been based in France for decades, has dedicated his entire scientific career to advancing knowledge of pancreatic cancer biology and developing effective therapies. A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), he currently serves as Director of Research of Exceptional Class at INSERM in France and as a Researcher at the Paoli Calmettes Institute in Marseille. He was formerly the Deputy Director of the Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM) until the end of 2023, and currently leads the Pancreatic Cancer Team and directs the National Program on Pancreatic Cancer in Argentina.
Chuluyan is a physician and principal investigator at CONICET, directing the Center for Pharmacological and Botanical Studies (CEFYBO) at UBA and possessing a distinguished career in immunology, anti-inflammatory mechanisms in cancer, and organ transplantation.
Iovanna and Chuluyan, along with Gustavo Kohan (a UBA-trained physician specializing in pancreatic and laparoscopic surgery and head of the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery sector at Rivadavia Hospital), will present the conference Pancreatic Cancer: From Challenges to Hope on December 9th, as part of the Europa Chair at the Faculty of Medicine (see agenda below).
Reasons for Hope
Currently, pancreatic cancer treatment relies on a combination of surgery and systemic chemotherapy. One of the complexities of pancreatic tumors is that “it has a variable response, because it adapts very well to the body and prevents the immune system from detecting it easily,” Pablo Capitanich, head of the biliary and pancreatic surgery sector at the German Hospital, recently explained in an interview. This, he added, necessitates thinking about personalized approaches, tailored to each patient.
Experts agree that the increasing emphasis on research – both in early detection methods and treatment – will change the prognosis of the disease in the coming years. This is a critical development, as pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, making treatment more difficult.
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“It is important to note that, despite the recognized severity of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the therapeutic landscape is changing at an unprecedented rate. In recent years, new strategies have been consolidated that open a real window of hope for patients,” Iovanna and Chuluyan stated.
“Among these – they specified – are treatments targeting specific mutations, in particular anti-KRAS therapies, which for decades were considered an inaccessible target, and are beginning to show promising results in initial clinical studies (Note from the R: still in testing phase). These innovations allow, for the first time, to directly interfere with one of the most frequent and determining genetic alterations of this tumor.”
In parallel, cellular therapies are advancing steadily: “The development of CAR-T lymphocytes adapted for solid tumors, historically refractory to immunotherapy, represents a profound conceptual shift: harnessing and redirecting the immune system to identify and attack highly resistant tumor cells.”
They clarified that although initial attempts at immunotherapy did not achieve the expected results, “today we have a level of knowledge of the tumor microenvironment, metabolic pathways, and immune evasion mechanisms that allows us to anticipate that, in the near future, results will improve dramatically and open up completely new therapeutic perspectives.”
“In this context, the articulation between academic initiatives, the health system, and international organizations, as proposed by the Franco-Argentine University Program, acquires a decisive value. It will not only improve equitable access to these innovations, but also accelerate the collaborative research needed to transform scientific advances into concrete benefits for patients throughout the country,” they emphasized.
And they concluded that “the combination of early diagnosis, adequate health organization, and new targeted therapies promises, for the first time in decades, to substantially modify the natural history of pancreatic cancer.”
Prevention and Early Detection
Despite the challenges presented by the disease, prevention plays a fundamental role in reducing the risk of developing it. Specialists emphasize that not smoking is key, as it has been proven that tobacco use significantly increases the likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer.
In addition, maintaining a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, regular physical activity, limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption, and controlling metabolic factors such as weight and diabetes are measures that strengthen the immune response and decrease the risk factors associated with this type of cancer. Non-modifiable risk factors include advanced age and genetic predisposition.
And while routine screening for pancreatic cancer in the general population is not recommended, clinical practice guidelines highlight the importance of identifying individuals with inherited predisposition and/or risk factors for early detection strategies.
AGENDA. On Tuesday, December 9th, at 6:00 PM, in the Council Hall of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (Paraguay 2155, first floor), the Franco-Argentine Network for the Study and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer, in conjunction with the Europa Chair of the French Embassy in Argentina, will organize the conference Pancreatic Cancer: From Challenges to Hope. Eduardo Chuluyan, Juan Iovanna, and Gustavo Kohan will present. To register, click here.
