Vitamin A May Play A Role In Beating Pancreatic Cancer

By Author: Erwindale
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With a five-year survival rate that is less than 10 percent, pancreatic cancer has long been considered one of the deadliest forms of this disease. Even so, few breakthroughs have been made in recent years to enhance treatment and potentially improve survival rates. That may soon change courtesy of a recent discovery of the role vitamin A may play in combatting this disease.

A new study related to the most common form of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, found that it might be possible to switch off the genetic mutations that enable pancreatic cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body. To arrive at that finding, researchers looked at stellate cells in the pancreas. In a healthy pancreas, these cells are dormant and serve to hold a strong supply of vitamin A. When pancreatic cancer progresses, however, the stellate cells activate and begin to lose their vitamin A content. Researchers found it was possible to switch off these cells by using a process involving vitamin A. The hope is that the finding may eventually lead to a way to prevent pancreatic cancer cells from spreading while also promoting ...
... greater success when cancer-fighting drugs are used.

Pancreatic cancer affects an estimated 53,000 Americans each year. Approximately 41,000 Americans die from the disease annually. This form of cancer has one of the highest morbidity rates associated with it for a number of distinct reasons. First and foremost is the location of the pancreas deep within the body. That positioning enables cancer tumors to develop without notice. With very few symptoms, if any at all, associated with early stages of the disease, detecting it is especially difficult. That means most patients are diagnosed only after the cancer has spread and has become incredibly difficult to treat.

Stellate cells that researchers are now targeting with vitamin A also serve a role in making this form of cancer hard to treat. These cells, when activated, create a layer around pancreatic cancer tissues that can prevent normal cancer-fighting drugs from having any real impacts.

Men and women alike are at risk for pancreatic cancer. Major risk factors include diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, smoking and family history. People who are at risk for pancreatic cancer or fear they might be are urged to speak with their healthcare providers. Although early screening tests are not readily available to the general public, those at particularly high risk will find there are some early detection techniques available.

About Author
The Sandler-Kenner Foundation was started by Gregory A. Echt, M.D. and his wife, Susan T. Echt, after they lost two of their dear friends, Michael and Peter, to premature deaths from pancreatic cancer.