A new study reveals how obesity appears to promote a microenvironment that favors tumor progression while blocking the effects of chemotherapy in patients with the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

Share on Pinterest The researchers discovered a mechanism through which obesity might promote tumor growth and disrupt chemotherapy in patients with the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

The study, by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, is published in the journal Cancer Discovery.

Pancreatic cancer begins when cells in the pancreas – an organ located behind the stomach – start to grow uncontrollably.

There are different types of pancreatic cancer. The main difference depends on whether the cancer arises in exocrine cells or endocrine cells.

Exocrine cells account for most of the cells in the pancreas. They form glands that make enzymes that are released via ducts into the intestines to help digest food – especially fats. The vast majority of pancreatic cancers arise from these cells.

Endocrine cells make up a much smaller proportion of the cells in the pancreas. They occur in small clusters called islets (the islets of Langerhans) and produce hormones – like insulin and glucagon that help control blood sugar.

Exocrine tumors account for the vast majority of pancreatic cancers, and of these, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is by far the most common and is the one investigated in the study.

The authors note that PDAC is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and more than half of patients diagnosed with PDAC are overweight or obese – a condition that more than doubles the already high risk of death.