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Israeli Medical Discovery Could Help Stop Spread Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells in Liver

The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center study found evidence of “metabolic vulnerabilities” in metastasizing cancer cells, opening a potential treatment path.

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The pancreas produces digestive juices that are secreted into the digestive tract. The pancreas also produces insulin, which helps control blood sugar. About 95% of cancerous (malignant) tumors of the pancreas are adenocarcinomas. Adenocarcinomas usually originate in the glandular cells lining the pancreatic duct. (Caption and image: merckmanuals.com)

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(JNS) A team of researchers from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center has discovered how pancreatic cancer cells spread in the liver, which could be key to developing treatments to slow it down and prolong patients’ lives.

The study, led by Dr. Tami Rubinek, head of the hospital’s oncology research lab, together with Ph.D. student Shani Journo and under the auspices of Professor Ido Wolf, found that a mutation that causes the disappearance of the “p15” and “p16” proteins—named for their molecular weight—appears more in liver metastasis and less in pancreatic cancer tumors in the pancreas or other areas of the body, such as the lungs or abdomen.

The liver is often the “killing organ,” Wolf told JNS, meaning patients often die when pancreatic cancer spreads to their liver.

In general, pancreatic cancer is one of the top 10 deadliest cancers, among a list prepared by Live Science that includes such cancers as gallbladder, esophageal, liver and lung cancers. Wolf said that once pancreatic cancer starts to spread, patients generally only live between six months and a year.

Between 800 and 900 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed annually in Israel, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health website. In the United States, some 60,000 new cases are diagnosed. According to Wolf, the numbers are steadily rising.

He said that the next step would be to find treatments based on the findings of the study.

Wolf cautioned that it is unlikely that the information will lead to a cure for this particular cancer. However, he said it would likely lead to treatments that could prolong patients’ lives.

Until this study—the largest of its kind, which included 17,000 pancreatic cancer patients from around the world whose information was entered into a database of FoundationOne, one of the world’s largest cancer genomics companies—it was assumed that all pancreatic cancers were similar, with no subgroups.

“The study … reveals the Achilles heel of the cancer cell,” said Wolf.

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Dr. Ayelet Erez of the Weizmann Institute of Science, an expert in the dynamics of cellular metabolism, who is unconnected to the Tel Aviv research, confirmed the novelty of the study and its potential implications.

“The novelty of the paper is in promoting the concept that the metabolic landscape of the distant organ affects metastasis tropism of primary cancers,” she told JNS.

“The results of this work have translational implications as they expose metabolic vulnerabilities of the metastasizing cells that can be targeted for therapy.”

(World Cancer Day is on Friday, Feb. 4. For more information go to www.worldcancerday.org)

An American-Israeli journalist since 1995, Maayan served as Editor-in-Chief of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Managing Editor of the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. Her work has appeared in American Spectator, Fox, The Hill and Roll Call, among other places. She also served as news editor and head of online content and strategy for jpost.com.

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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.

We do news differently!

Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.

We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!

Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.

Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.

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