Aussie researchers' pancreas cancer breakthrough

Steve Jobs, Patrick Swayze, and Peter Harvey all succumbed to it.

Pancreatic cancer has the worst survival rate of all cancers. Most patients die within six months of diagnosis. And after five years, only three per cent of patients are still alive.

Now an Australian research breakthrough has mapped the tumours' whole genome, dividing pancreatic cancer into four main types. That will lead to more targeted treatments.

"In the not-too-distant future we can analyse pancreas cancer genomes and give some people treatment that's the right treatment for them," said Dr Lorraine Chantrill, Oncologist at Garvan Institute.

The pancreas is behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It helps the body use and store the energy we get from food.

There is no screening test for pancreatic cancer, the symptoms can be vague, and often detected only after the disease is advanced.

"The challenge for us as scientists is to try to find signals that will indicate which treatment to give which person," said Dr Chantrill.

Scientists injected mice with human tumour cells and monitored their reactions to different drugs.

They proved that certain pancreatic tumours responded to DNA damaging drugs, such as platinum chemotherapy, which is commonly used to treat breast cancer.

"Very fast growing, very aggressive, but what this also meant for us was we could potentially identify therapies to target these tumours specifically," said Dr Marina Pajic, researcher at Garvan Institute.

Australian pancreatic cancer patients can now take part in a clinical trial of this research.

For more information, visit our website or ask your doctor.

If you want to get involved in the trial, please visit pancreascancer or gicancer.