Scientists break through pancreas cancer treatment barrier

Pancreas cancer tumors spread quickly and are resistant to treatment, making them very deadly. Their resistance to chemotherapy stems in part from a unique biological barrier the tumor builds around itself. Now scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a way to break through that defense, and their research represents a potential breakthrough in the treatment of pancreas cancer. Using a mouse model, the scientists combined gemcitabine, the current standard chemotherapy used to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, with an enzyme called PEGPH20. When they introduced the combination into specially engineered mice with pancreas tumors, the combination broke down the matrix barrier within the tumors and allowed the chemotherapy to permeate freely and spread throughout the cancerous tissue. The result was a 70 percent increase in survival time of the mice after the start of treatment, from 55 to 92 days.