New discovery shows how targeting healthy cells could help develop treatments for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest to treat types of cancer – fewer than 1 in 10 people in the UK are expected to survive 5 years or more after diagnosis. Pancreatic tumours are often surrounded by a dense stroma, or ‘scar tissue’, produced by cells called fibroblasts. The stroma blocks chemotherapy from reaching the tumour and suppresses the immune system, making immunotherapy ineffective.

A new way to tackle pancreatic cancer?

The new research, led by Dr Angus Cameron, found that blocking expression of a protein, called PKN2, changed the behaviour of healthy cells around the tumour. These cells, called fibroblasts, which are highly mobile and invasive, not only protect pancreatic cancer from treatment, but also aid in spreading it around the body. The researchers therefore hope that targeting fibroblasts to change their behaviour could affect how pancreatic cancer develops.

When the researchers blocked expression of PKN2 in the healthy cells of a pre-clinical model of pancreatic cancer, the tumour grew more aggressively. However, the fibroblasts switched to a less mobile and invasive state and instead promoted inflammation – this is known to make tumours more aggressive but can also make them more responsive to immunotherapy.

The findings of this study expose PKN2 as a potential new drug target to alter the development and treatment sensitivity of pancreatic cancer. Dr Cameron and his team are now studying the altered profile of immune cells within pancreatic cancer tumours. In future, the right combination of immunotherapy and a PKN2-targeting drug could be an effective way of treating pancreatic cancer.

The full research article, published in Cell Reports, is free to read on the journal website.