Hope for earlier detection of pancreatic cancer as scientists discover ‘early warning signal’ of deadly disease

Scientists have moved a step closer to treating pancreatic cancer after uncovering an ‘early warning signal’ of the deadly disease that occurs years before symptoms appear.

Researchers found that precancerous cells in the gland clump together, forming small ‘neighborhoods’ within the tissue.

These groups of cells then target nearby immune cells, weakening the body’s ability to fight the disease in the earliest stages of cancer development.

Findings published in the journal GastroenterologyIt could help scientists develop better ways to detect pancreatic cancer early, when treatment is most effective.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, with only one in four patients surviving more than a year after diagnosis.

It is often diagnosed at a late stage when treatment is difficult because it causes very few symptoms early on.

But there is hope that doctors may soon be able to detect the most common and deadliest form of the disease earlier by looking at how lesions develop over time.

The research, led by experts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, used advanced imaging to examine samples of both mouse and human pancreatic tissue.

They found that precancerous cells cluster early within lesions in the pancreas, alongside immune cells responsible for fighting the disease.

This proximity facilitates gene expression patterns known to reduce immune activity; This suggests that immune evasion, the process by which cancer hides from the body’s defense system, may begin long before cancer develops.

Immunologist and study co-author Dr. Sharona Tornovsky-Babeay said: ‘By understanding the process of lesion formation and development, we can better identify high-risk lesions and design future strategies to intervene before cancer is fully developed.’

The team observed similar cell clustering and immune responses in human tissue, strengthening the validity of the findings beyond mouse models.

The researchers hope their findings provide a more detailed picture of the earliest changes in pancreatic cancer development and underscore how immune interactions can shape disease outcome long before symptoms appear.

Experts still don’t know exactly what causes most cases, but suggest smoking, alcohol use and obesity may increase the risk of the disease.

The pancreas is a pear-shaped gland located behind the stomach that is responsible for producing hormones that aid digestion and convert sugar into energy.

Because of its location and relatively small size, doctors often cannot feel a pancreatic tumor during a physical exam, another obstacle to early treatment.

While aging is one of the biggest risk factors for the silent killer, with almost half of cases diagnosed in people over the age of 75, experts have warned it is on the rise in younger age groups, particularly women.

The increase appears to be due to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common and aggressive form of the disease, which experts focused on in this study.

Some suggest this may reflect better detection of early-stage tumors, but others point to rising rates of obesity and poor nutrition as potential factors.

A groundbreaking study on the link between diet and cancer risk, published last week, found that vegetarians were 21 per cent less likely to develop the disease than meat eaters.

There is existing evidence that eating a lot of red and processed meat may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer due to the formation of nitrosamines, which are known to cause cancer, during cooking.

But new research has suggested that obesity may also play a role, with vegetarians tending to have a lower body mass index score than meat eaters.

But experts say more research is needed to understand why and the evidence is inconclusive.