It is one of the deadliest cancers: each year, in France, 12,000 people die following an pancreatic cancer, while 13,000 new cases appear annually.
The 5-year survival rate is exceptionally low: only 20% if the disease is diagnosed early enough (remember that pancreatic cancer is still too often confused with chronic pancreatitis) and whether the patient is receiving chemotherapy. According to some experts, in 2020, pancreatic cancer could even climb two places and become the second cause of death from cancer in Europe …
Block tumor progression
However, there is still hope: very recently, a team of Toulouse researchers indeed discovered a method to prevent the proliferation of cancer cells in the context of pancreatic cancer. The secret ? Eliminate from the body all traces of cytidine deaminase (CDA), a natural enzyme involved in cell development.
A discovery that would have been made by accident, according to Dr Pierre Cordelier, Inserm research director at the Toulouse Cancer Research Center (CRCT). “By eliminating CDA we found that the proliferation of cancer cells is severely reduced, without even any chemotherapy, he explains. We didn’t expect it at all. It was believed that removing CDA only helped chemotherapy. But, what was totally unexpected is that by eliminating CDA, the progression of the tumor is blocked. “
This is excellent news which should allow the development of new attack treatments. However, applications for the general public should not see the light of day for 5 to 10 years, according to Dr Cordelier.
Read also: your pancreas does not like soda (at all).
