New discovery could help predict pancreatic cancer risk
Southampton researchers have identified new genetic patterns that could help identify people at risk of pancreatic cancer.
The research could lead to the development of personalised risk prediction tools. It is funded by PLANETS Cancer Charity.
These tools could help doctors identify people who could benefit from earlier screening. This would enable them to receive potentially life-saving treatments.
The study team is led by Professor William Tapper and Dr Zaed Hamady. Professor Tapper is Professor of Genetics at the University of Southampton (UoS).
Dr Hamady is a consultant hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and laparoscopic surgeon at University Hospital Southampton. He is also an Associate Professor at UoS.
Low survival rate
The genetic variants are associated with the most common form of pancreatic cancer. This is known as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
PDAC and has the lowest survival rate of any cancer. With no effective early diagnosis tools, it is often detected at an advanced stage, after it has spread.
Known risk factors for the disease include smoking, diabetes and obesity. They also include inherited genetic predisposition.
These new findings highlight genes that may increase susceptibility to the disease.
Award-winning results
The results were presented at the British Association of Surgical Oncology (BASO) conference.
Dr Georgios Ioannis Verras, Southampton clinical research fellow, presented the results. The presentation received the BASO-ACS Proffered Papers Oral Presentation Prize.
The researchers stress these are still early findings, with further work needed.
"Our early analyses suggest new genetic patterns that may be relevant to pancreatic cancer risk in the UK population,” he said.
"If these findings are replicated in further studies, they could eventually feed into more refined risk prediction tools. These could combine genetics with age, sex and lifestyle information to help identify people who might benefit from closer monitoring in the future.
"While much more work is needed before this could have any impact on individual patients, it is an encouraging direction for future research."
Building on previous work
The researchers analysed variations in genes linked to PDAC. They used data from the UK Biobank. This is a nationwide database with genetic and health information from half a million participants.
The genetic variants identified are linked various pathways in pancreatic tissue. These include metabolic, inflammatory and protein secretion. When combined with age, gender and lifestyle factors, these variants could help doctors identify people at higher risk.
The results build on the team’s 2023 study. This was published in the journal Gastroenterology and reported by PLANETS.
This compared the genetic data of 1,042 people with PDAC against 10,420 healthy participants. It laid the foundation for predictive risk models this work builds on.
Dr Hamady said: "This research builds on our previous work and brings us closer to understanding who is most at risk of pancreatic cancer.
“By expanding our knowledge of genetic risk, we hope to develop more accurate models to predict. This could then form the foundation for targeted screening programmes, especially for those at highest risk, and ultimately save lives."