Worldwide Cancer Research scientists have discovered a potential new way to detect and diagnose pancreatic cancer early by analysing microorganisms such as bacteria in a patients stool sample. This fast and non-invasive way of diagnosing pancreatic cancer could be a game changer for preventing people dying from this lethal type of cancer.
This new breakthrough builds on the growing evidence that the microbiome – the collection of microorganisms that live side by side with the cells inside our body – is linked to the development of cancer. What’s amazing about this discovery is that the microbiome of stool samples from patients could be used to help diagnose pancreatic cancer early. Early detection and diagnosis are just as important an approach to starting new cancer cures as developing treatments.
The challenge of spotting pancreatic cancer early
Pancreatic cancer is a relatively rare cancer type, but survival rates remain stubbornly low. In the UK, it’s estimated that only 1 in 4 people will survive for one year or more after their diagnosis. One of the key reasons for this is that pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late and the more advanced it is the harder it is to treat.
Because your pancreas located deep in your abdomen, tumours can be impossible to see or feel which means they can go undetected for longer. Pancreatic cancer also flies under the radar because early on it may not cause many symptoms or it is confused for other conditions
Reasons why early detection of pancreatic cancer is so difficult:
Because of where the pancreas is located
Your pancreas sits quite hidden in your body, deep in your abdomen behind your stomach. This means that it is hard to detect any changes to it - even doctors can find it hard to see or feel if anything unusual is going on.
Because symptoms can be confused for other conditions
Jaundice, tummy ache, indigestion, losing your appetite or changes to your poo can all be symptoms of pancreatic cancer but could also all mean something else. This means patients can be slower seeing a doctor and that doctors will find it hard to be certain about a diagnosis.
Because sometimes there are no symptoms at all
Pancreatic cancer symptoms can come and go, or may not exist at all in the early stages of the disease. This is why finding a new way to detect pancreatic cancer early would be game-changing. If we could diagnose it more easily, and more early on then patients could get much needed treatment sooner and live for longer.
New research into the pancreatic cancer microbiome
Led by Dr Núria Malats from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and Dr Peer Bork from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, new research has found a molecular signature of 27 microorganisms in stool samples that could predict whether patients are at high risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common pancreatic cancer, and even diagnose patients with earlier stages of the disease.
A patent has already been applied for by the researchers to develop a pancreatic cancer diagnostic kit that detects these microbial genomes in stool samples in a rapid, non-invasive, and affordable way.
Currently, screening programmes are targeted to families with a history of pancreatic cancer, which represent only 10% of the burden of the disease.
Could a stool test detect pancreatic cancer?
This research is in early stages so there is not yet a stool test you can take to detect pancreatic cancer. But the good news is that international cancer research is helping to advance this idea and studies from Finland and Iran suggest that an AI model could use gut bacterial profiles to distinguish between healthy people and cancer patients.
Hopefully in the future this breakthrough could be translated into clinical practice as a way to detect pancreatic cancer before it becomes deadly - you can read the full research article for free at the journals website.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the cancers we have seen very little improvement in survival in over the last few decades.
It is often diagnosed late when it has already spread to other parts of the body, and treatment options for people are extremely limited. This research provides hope that an effective, non-invasive way to diagnose pancreatic cancer early is on the horizon
Why do pancreatic cancer survival rates remain low?
Although cancer survival rates have risen thanks to research, pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest types to cure. Not only is it hard to diagnose, but it is also particularly hard to treat.
Tumours in the pancreas are surrounded by a dense scar tissue which stops drugs getting in. This forms a shield around the tumour helping the cancer cells to grow and blocking cancer treatments from dong their job. So treatments that often work on other cancer types do not often work for pancreatic cancer patients.
We urgently need more research into pancreatic cancer to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat this deadly disease.
What does the future of pancreatic cancer cures look like?
International cancer research is helping to give hope to families around the globe impacted by pancreatic cancer. One of the biggest problems with pancreatic cancer is that it spreads across the body making it harder to treat.
Dr Patricia Sancho in Spain has made an exciting breakthrough about how this deadly cancer manages to adapt and gain the energy needed to grow and spread. Excitingly they have also found a possible drug that could reverse this process and stop pancreatic cancer from spreading.
In Italy Dr Miriam Martini has found a potential new treatment target for pancreatic cancer. Thanks to you, this pioneering research could pave the way for new pancreatic cancer therapies in the future.
Your pancreatic cancer FAQs
What is the microbiome's role in cancer detection?
Your microbiome is the collection of millions of microbes that live on and inside your body. Research is increasingly finding that your microbiome plays all sorts of important jobs in keeping you healthy but also that it can play a role in several diseases including cancer.
Researchers in Spain have made an exciting breakthrough that microbes in stool samples could be used as a new way to detect pancreatic cancer. In the future this could lead to a simple test to diagnose this disease at an early stage.
What are the early signs of pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer is hard to detect. Early on it may not have any symptoms at all or it can be confused for other conditions. Some signs include indigestion, tummy ache, changes to your poo, weight loss and jaundice. If you have any symptoms you are worried about please speak to your doctor.
What makes pancreatic cancer so hard to spot?
Pancreatic cancer is hard to spot because your pancreas is located deep in your body, behind your stomach, making it difficult to see or feel any changes. It also sometimes has limited or confusing symptoms so patients are not given any warning signs.
What are the survival rates for pancreatic cancer?
Unfortunately pancreatic cancer is one of most challenging cancers to cure. In the UK only around 5 patients out of 100 will live for 10 years or more after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. We urgently need more research to discover new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat this deadly disease.
Why is early detection of pancreatic cancer so important?
The longer pancreatic cancer goes undetected, the more chance there is that it will spread to other parts of the body which makes it much harder to treat. Detecting it early would mean more patients could be treated effectively, giving them more precious time.
What is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma?
PDAC, or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, is the most common type of pancreatic cancer. It starts in the cells lining the ducts in the pancreas that carry digestive enzymes involved in digesting our food.
What is Worldwide Cancer Research doing to support future pancreatic cancer breakthroughs?
UK cancer charity Worldwide Cancer Research and its Curestarter researchers around the globe are working hard to find new pancreatic cancer cures.
Targeted treatments are a relatively new way to treat cancer that work by disrupting how cancer cells grow and spread. Dr Silvestre Vicent and his team in Spain are investigating if combining a particular targeted therapy with another powerful type of cancer treatment could make them more effective for more people with pancreatic cancer.
Professor Ildiko Szabo and her team in Italy are studying a new combination treatment for pancreatic cancer. They aim to fine tune this new treatment, understand more about how it works, and hope to test it in future in clinical trials.
By supporting this pioneering research we are sowing the seeds for future pancreatic cancer breakthroughs. Thanks to you we hope that one day no life will be cut short by pancreatic cancer.
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