After carrying out a detailed analysis of DNA disruption, gene expression and molecular pathways in hundreds of tumors, researchers conclude pancreatic cancer is not one but four separate diseases, each with a different genetic trigger and requiring a different treatment.

Share on Pinterest The researchers found some types of pancreatic cancer have genetic mutations typically seen in colon cancer and leukemia, for which treatments are already available.

The researchers say knowing which subtypes of pancreatic cancer a patient has will allow doctors to give more accurate prognoses and treatment recommendations.

The results also raise the possibility that some types of pancreatic cancer may be treatable with drugs already in use for other cancers with similar underlying genetics.

In the journal Nature, the international team – led by Prof. Sean Grimmond of the University of Melbourne in Australia – describes how they classified pancreatic cancer into the following four subtypes:

Squamous

Pancreatic progenitor

Immunogenic

Aberrantly differentiated endocrine eXocrine (ADEX).

Prof. Grimmond, who also leads research based at the University of Glasgow in the UK, explains:

“We identified 32 genes from 10 genetic pathways that are consistently mutated in pancreatic tumors, but further analysis of gene activity revealed four distinct subtypes of tumors.”

He and his colleagues say each subtype of pancreatic cancer has different survival rates, treatments and underlying genetics.

The study addresses an urgent need to improve our understanding of the causes of pancreatic cancer – particularly at the genetic and molecular level.

Most patients with pancreatic cancer only live a few months after diagnosis and the disease is set to become the second most common cancer in westernized countries in the next 10 years.