There is an urgent need for more scientific research into pancreatic cancer to better understand this cancer and improve patient survival.
Now less than 13 percent of people with pancreatic or pancreatic cancer are found to be alive five years after diagnosis. That’s what the says Foundation against Cancer on the occasion of World Pancreas Day on November 18.
Currently, about 2,000 new cases are registered every year and the incidence is still increasing. The organization estimates that pancreatic cancer will be among the top three most deadly cancers in Belgium by 2030. “It is a very resistant and difficult to detect cancer that still needs a lot of research to achieve promising results,” said the Foundation against Cancer. Among other things, she points out that the clinical signs are not specific and that there is currently no method for systematic early detection of pancreatic cancer. This means that the cancer is often discovered too late and the treatment is also difficult.
Research into pancreatic cancer therefore has a great need for new discoveries, according to the Foundation against Cancer. In its own words, the organization itself has financed eight research projects in fundamental and clinical research in this area throughout Belgium for a total of almost 2 million euros over the past five years.
A team of researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), UZ Brussel and Belgian and foreign scientists, led by Professor Ilse Rooman of the VUB, has proven that financing such research projects pays off. They discovered a cell in the pancreas of healthy people that closely resembles the cells responsible for the most aggressive pancreatic cancers. ‘These cells are more numerous in patients with chronic inflammation of the pancreas, a factor that increases the risk of cancer. This cell could be the origin of a specific subtype of pancreatic cancer, or at least tell us how this subtype develops. If confirmed, it could be a vital piece of knowledge for better detection and treatment.”
Now less than 13 percent of people with pancreatic or pancreatic cancer are found to be alive five years after diagnosis. That is what the Foundation against Cancer says on the occasion of World Pancreas Day on November 18. Currently, about 2,000 new cases are registered every year and the incidence is still increasing. The organization estimates that pancreatic cancer will be among the top three most deadly cancers in Belgium by 2030. ‘It is a very resistant cancer that is difficult to detect and which still needs a lot of research to achieve promising results’, according to the Foundation against Cancer. Among other things, she points out that the clinical signs are not specific and that there is currently no method for systematic early detection of pancreatic cancer. This means that the cancer is often discovered too late and the treatment is also difficult. Research into pancreatic cancer therefore has a great need for new discoveries, according to the Foundation against Cancer. In its own words, the organization itself has financed eight research projects in fundamental and clinical research in this area throughout Belgium for a total of almost 2 million euros over the past five years. A team of researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the UZ Brussel and Belgian and foreign scientists, led by Professor Ilse Rooman of the VUB, has proven that financing such research projects pays off. They discovered a cell in the pancreas of healthy people that closely resembles the cells responsible for the most aggressive pancreatic cancers. ‘These cells are more numerous in patients with chronic inflammation of the pancreas, a factor that increases the risk of cancer. This cell could be the origin of a specific subtype of pancreatic cancer, or at least tell us how this subtype develops. If confirmed, it could be a vital piece of knowledge for better detection and treatment.”
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