Key to why cancer kills so often
Scientists have pinpointed a possible reason why pancreatic cancer is such an aggressive disease.
A University of Liverpool team found a family of proteins involved in controlling cell movement could be key. The study, which appears in the journal Gut, could offer a new lead on a disease which is hard to treat.
There are around 7,000 cases of pancreatic cancer in the UK each year. It can be hard to spot as the pancreas is located deep inside the body. As a result, although surgery can potentially cure the disease, only 9% of patients go under the knife.
The Liverpool team were able to track the proteins, called CapG and Gelsolin, in tissue samples from normal and cancerous cells. They found abnormally high concentrations of both proteins in the tumour tissue. As both CapG and Gelsolin are known to have roles in regulating cell movement, the study suggests they may facilitate the spread of pancreatic cancer cells to other areas of the body
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