Scientists Find Genetic Link to Deadly Pancreatic Cancer

A genetic link may be the answer to developing effective treatment for patients suffering from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), or the most common form of pancreatic cancer, scientists say.

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With a five percent survival rate, PDAC is the world's fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. Over 350,000 people are diagnosed annually while more than 340,000 are lost.

Researchers from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center- Jefferson Health and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research in Philadelphia determined that the IDO2 enzyme which controls the immune system could be the key to early cancer diagnoses.

Cancer abuses both the IDO1 and IDO2 to hide from the immune system’s usual defense mechanisms and allow a steady growth of cancer cells. Temporarily deactivating the enzymes could lead to noninvasive treatment options. Researchers suggest that with further development, a simple blood test will be the only thing needed to determine whether to proceed with radiotherapy.

"The findings could point to a therapeutic target or an important prognostic biomarker," said the study’s co-author George Prendergast, PhD, President and CEO of the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) of Main Line Health.

Using rodent-testing, scientists found that only 15 percent of the IDO2-free, cancer-induced mice developed PDAC, all of whom were male. The study suggests that IDO2 may affect female hosts differently and further research is needed.

“Besides IDO2’s involvement in development of pancreatic cancer, we wanted to know whether IDO2 affects how patients respond to treatment,” said Jonathan Brody, PhD, Director of the Research Division and Professor of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University, who assisted in the scientific project.

According to the pair of researchers, PDAC patients naturally deficient in IDO2 enzymes tend to receive treatment better and have a higher survival rate.

Cancer specialist Karen Knudsen PhD, Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health, said, “This breakthrough in understanding lays the foundation for determining what patients might most benefit from radiotherapy, and represents a major step forward toward the goal of precision oncology.”