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Liquid biopsy could revolutionise pancreatic cancer diagnostics
Developing effective drugs for pancreas cancer is another much-needed improvement , one that seems within reach in the near future . survival , � said Dr Sharmila .
Liquid biopsy , or the procedure of detecting cancer through a blood test , is a promising technique that could revolutionise overall cancer diagnostics , with currently hard-to-detect malignancies like pancreatic cancer expected to benefit the most .
Though some liquid biopsy technologies have shown the potential to make pancreatic cancer diagnosis faster and less invasive , they have yet to replace current detection methods like imaging and standard endoscopic biopsy .
�I think liquid biopsy is the way of the future , � said Dr Manji . ��ut right now it ’ s still investigational and not practical yet ” because we need to identify a better cancer marker to look for in the blood .
Dr �ee agrees liquid biopsy could become the standard way of diagnosing pancreatic cancer in the future but stresses that we should also improve imaging for standard biopsies in a way that helps doctors direct the needle towards tumour cells instead of the inflamed and scarred tissues surrounding them . In turn , this would reduce false negative results .
Developing effective drugs for pancreas cancer is another much-needed improvement , one that seems within reach in the near future , according to Dr Sharmila . �In lung and breast cancers , you have specific genetic alterations that respond to targeted therapies . Similarly , we ’ re moving towards that in pancreatic cancer , picking up those alterations that are amenable to targeted therapies ,” she said , noting that next generation sequencing ( N�S ) is what can help achieve this goal .
One promising target for these refined therapies is the Kras gene , which can harbour mutations leading to cancer proliferation in the pancreas and other tissues . An experimental drug has recently demonstrated the ability to shrink lung tumours with a Kras mutation also found in some pancreatic cancers , and the hope is the new medication could do the same with this subtype of pancreatic cancers . �I think this will probably prove to be a new treatment patients with pancreatic cancer can look forward to , � said Dr �ee .
�efined immunotherapies might also contribute to extending the life of patients with pancreatic cancer in the future , says Dr Manji who ’ s researching the immunosuppressant pathways cancerous cells employ to make immunotherapies ineffective .
Some of those pathways have been identified already and are being targeted by both immunotherapy and chemotherapy in ongoing clinical trials , “ but it ’ s still early days to understand whether they will enter the clinic in a meaningful way ,” he acknowledged .
Together with medications that can efficiently kill cancer , we might need substances that make pancreatic tumour environments easier to reach . “ Researchers are trying to use stroma-modifying drugs to reduce scarring and increase blood flow into pancreatic cancers to allow for better delivery of chemotherapy , immunotherapy , and targeted therapy ,” said Dr �ee .
One crucial aspect that could make all these research goals more achievable is stronger collaboration across countries and organisations .
“ Since pancreatic cancer is rare , we only have a few patients enrolled in clinical trials , and that ’ s another barrier we need to overcome ,” Dr Manji said . �I wish there were more pancreatic cancer international consortiums to enrol a greater number of patients in clinical trials , so that we could try as many treatment combinations as possible . The faster we can test a promising agent , the closer we ’ re going to get to a potential cure . �
How support groups can help Like with any type of cancer , joining a support group where patients talk about their experiences might help some people cope with the challenges of living with the disease .
�ased on her own positive experience , Luna recommends joining a pancreatic cancer group as one way to relieve loneliness . �Sometimes it helps to hear that somebody else is going through the same problems because , when you get the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer , you may think you ’ re the only person with it , but if you listen to others , then you realise that you ’ re not alone , � she said .
She says she ’ s also benefited a lot from her stint as a PanCAN volunteer as she found meaning in raising awareness about the hard-to-treat cancer .
“ It helped me take my anger and grief and do something positive about them rather than let them fester . �rief and anger can really affect you mentally . If you ’ re a patient , this is an extra thing you don ’ t need to deal with . � n
40 AUGUST 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com