More magnesium may lower risk of pancreatic cancer

Magnesium intake may be an effective way to prevent pancreatic cancer, a new study suggests.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. The overall occurrence of pancreatic cancer has not significantly changed since 2002, but the mortality rate has increased annually from 2002 to 2011, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“Pancreatic cancer is really unique and different from other cancers,” says Ka He, chair of the epidemiology and biostatistics department at Indiana University. “The five-year survival rate is really low, so that makes prevention and identifying risk factors or predictors associated with pancreatic cancer very important.”

Previous studies have found that magnesium is inversely associated with the risk of diabetes, which is a risk factor of pancreatic cancer. But few studies have explored the direct association of magnesium with pancreatic cancer and those that did had inconclusive findings, says lead author Daniel Dibaba, a PhD student in the School of Public Health.

Using information from the VITamins and Lifestyle study, the researchers analyzed an enormous trove of data on more than 66,000 men and women, ages 50 to 76, looking at the direct association between magnesium and pancreatic cancer and whether age, gender, body mass index, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use, and magnesium supplementation play a role.

Of those followed, 151 participants developed pancreatic cancer. Every 100-milligrams-per-day decrease in magnesium intake was associated with a 24 percent increase in the occurrence of pancreatic cancer.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, also found that the effects of magnesium on pancreatic cancer did not appear to be modified by age, gender, body mass index, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, but was limited to those taking magnesium supplements either from a multivitamin or individual supplement.

“For those at a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, adding a magnesium supplement to their diet may prove beneficial in preventing this disease,” Dibaba says.

“While more study is needed, the general population should strive to get the daily recommendations of magnesium through diet, such as dark, leafy greens or nuts, to prevent any risk of pancreatic cancer.”

Other researchers from Indiana University and from the University of Washington, and the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo contributed to the study.

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* credit verbatim via http://www.futurity.org and
April Toler of Indiana University *

Researchers Focusing on Early Detection, Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer

The challenge with pancreatic cancer has always been to catch it early. Because of its subtle, variable symptoms, the disease often isn’t diagnosed until an advanced stage, when it is particularly difficult to treat.

Researchers are investigating not only how to detect the disease earlier but also how to better understand its causes and develop more effective treatments.

Pancreatic cancer arises in a series of steps that occur over a number of years. At the earliest stages, pancreas cells begin to acquire mutations or other abnormalities in a small number of genes. As abnormalities arise in additional genes, the cells of the pancreas begin to look abnormal. One of the most common genes to be affected is KRAS, which regulates cell growth. Researchers are developing new diagnostic tests that can detect this change using fluid extracted from the pancreas, although such tests aren’t yet ready for general use.

In recent research, scientists at Dana-Farber and other institutions recently found that an upsurge in certain amino acids often occurs before pancreatic cancer is diagnosed and symptoms appear. Although the increase isn’t large enough to be the basis of an early-detection test, the discovery will help researchers better understand how pancreatic cancer affects the rest of the body, particularly how it can trigger the sometimes deadly muscle-wasting disease known as cachexia.

Efforts to improve the treatment of pancreatic cancer include the development of new surgical and radiation therapy techniques, new combinations of chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapies, and therapies that harness the immune system to attack the disease.

In the surgical field, investigators are exploring whether laparoscopic procedures – which involve inserting surgical instruments through small cuts in the abdomen – to remove cancerous pancreatic tissue are as effective as traditional, large-incision techniques and whether they improve the recovery process. Some studies are also examining whether delivering a large dose of radiation therapy to the pancreas during surgery is beneficial.

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*credit verbatim via Dana-Farber Cancer Institute*

Only 1 in 5 US #PanCan patients get key blood test at diagnosis

Study: Only 1 in 5 US pancreatic cancer patients get this key blood test at diagnosis

CA 19-9 tumor marker test especially important for early-stage patients, Mayo finds

NAPA, Calif. — Only 1 in 5 U.S. pancreatic cancer patients receive a widely available, inexpensive blood test at diagnosis that can help predict whether they are likely to have a better or worse outcome than average and guide treatment accordingly, a Mayo Clinic study shows. People who test positive for elevated levels of a particular tumor marker tend to do worse than others, but if they are candidates for surgery and have chemotherapy before their operations, this personalized treatment sequence eliminates the elevated biomarker’s negative effect, researchers found.

The findings will be presented at the Western Surgical Association annual meeting Nov. 7-10 in Napa.

“This is another argument for giving chemotherapy before surgery in all pancreatic cancer patients and ending the old practice of surgery followed by chemo,” says senior author Mark Truty, M.D., a gastrointestinal surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “The study answers an important clinical question and applies to every pancreatic cancer patient being considered for surgery.”

The Mayo study, which used the National Cancer Data Base, is the first on the subject based on national data and is the largest of its kind, Dr. Truty says.

Researchers analyzed outcomes for 97,000 patients. The tumor marker whose impact they studied is known as CA 19-9. It is associated with several cancers, including pancreatic cancer, and can be measured in the blood of most people: 10 percent do not produce it. Pancreatic cancer patients who didn’t secrete CA 19-9 were also studied.

Pancreatic cancer patients whose blood showed higher-than-normal CA 19-9 levels tended to have worse outcomes than others at the same stage of cancer, the study found. Surprisingly, the elevated tumor marker’s negative effect on survival was most pronounced in patients diagnosed at an early stage, the researchers wrote.

“When we looked at how these patients did after surgical removal of their cancers, the only treatment sequence that completely eliminated the increased risk posed by CA 19-9 elevation was chemotherapy followed by surgical removal of the tumor,” Dr. Truty says.

Another key finding was that only 19 percent of pancreatic cancer patients nationally have their CA 19-9 checked at diagnosis, far fewer than anticipated, he says. The CA 19-9 blood test has been standard for pancreatic cancer patients at Mayo Clinic for years.

Failing to test for and address elevated CA 19-9 means that many patients with above-normal levels may undergo significant surgeries that may not be as beneficial long term as anticipated, Dr. Truty says.

About 50,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the U.S. Historically, only about 7 percent of pancreatic cancer patients have lived at least five years after diagnosis. But advances such as the CA 19-9 test and improved chemotherapy, radiation and surgical techniques are improving survival odds for many patients, Dr. Truty says.

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* credit verbatim via http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org *

FDA approves new treatment for advanced #PancreaticCancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Onivyde (irinotecan liposome injection), in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin, to treat patients with advanced (metastatic) pancreatic cancer who have been previously treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be 48,960 new cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed in the U.S. in 2015, and nearly the same number of deaths caused by the disease (40,560). Pancreatic cancer can be difficult to diagnose early and treatment options are limited, especially when the disease has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic disease) and surgery to remove the tumor is not possible.

“Many FDA staff who review drug applications are clinicians as well, so it’s especially rewarding when we are able to expedite access to new treatments for patients with unmet needs,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “By using the Priority Review designation for the application for Onivyde, patients will have earlier access to a drug that helps extend survival.”

The FDA granted Priority Review and orphan drug designations for Onivyde. Priority review status is granted to applications for drugs that, if approved, would be a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness in the treatment of a serious condition. Orphan drug designation provides incentives such as tax credits, user fee waivers, and eligibility for orphan drug exclusivity to assist and encourage the development of drugs for rare diseases.

The effectiveness of Onivyde was demonstrated in a three-arm, randomized, open label study of 417 patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma whose cancer had grown after receiving the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine or a gemcitabine-based therapy. The study was designed to determine whether patients receiving Onivyde plus fluorouracil/leucovorin or Onivyde alone lived longer than those receiving fluorouracil/leucovorin. Patients treated with Onivyde plus fluorouracil/leucovorin lived an average of 6.1 months, compared to 4.2 months for those treated with only fluorouracil/leucovorin. There was no survival improvement for those who received only Onivyde compared to those who received fluorouracil/leucovorin.

The safety of Onivyde was evaluated in 398 patients who received either Onivyde with fluorouracil/leucovorin, Onivyde alone or fluorouracil/leucovorin. The most common side effects of treatment with Onivyde included diarrhea, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, decreased appetite, inflammation in the mouth (stomatitis) and fever (pyrexia). Onivyde was also found to result in low counts of infection-fighting cells (lymphopenia and neutropenia). Death due to sepsis following neutropenia has been reported in patients treated with Onivyde.

The labeling for Onivyde includes a boxed warning to alert health care professionals about the risks of severe neutropenia and diarrhea. Onivyde is not approved for use as a single agent for the treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Onivyde is marketed by Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, promotes and protects the public health by, among other things, assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

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*credit verbatim via  http://www.fda.gov *

FDA Approves Post-Gemcitabine Therapy

FDA APPROVES POST-GEMCITABINE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC PANCREATIC CANCER

Today, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a novel therapy for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma – the most common form of pancreatic cancer – whose disease has progressed following gemcitabine-based therapy, offering new hope against a disease that will claim the lives of more than 40,000 individuals this year.

“This is a pivotal achievement for the pancreatic cancer community because it provides a new treatment option for some patients facing this difficult disease,” said Julie Fleshman, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “We applaud the dedication of those involved in this advancement, knowing it will impact our goal to double pancreatic cancer survival by 2020.”

ONIVYDE™ (irinotecan liposome injection), in combination with fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin, is the first-ever therapy approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas whose disease has progressed following gemcitabine-based therapy.

The FDA’s approval of ONIVYDE in combination with 5-FU and leucovorin is based on results from an international phase III clinical study, further illustrating clinical trials as the mechanism that enables improvements in patient outcomes.

According to Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, the maker of ONIVYDE, the therapy was found to improve median overall survival from 4.2 to 6.1 months when compared to the control group of patients who received 5-FU and leucovorin alone.

At present, the five-year survival rate is a mere seven percent. To combat these statistics, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network set a bold and aggressive goal to double pancreatic cancer survival by 2020.

“This ambitious goal is only possible with positive results from clinical trials and the approval of new therapies like this one. We encourage all patients with pancreatic cancer to consider clinical trials when looking at their treatment options,” added Fleshman.

To find a pancreatic cancer clinical trial, call the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at 877-272-6226 or visit https://clinicaltrials.pancan.org/.

Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter, Instagram or on Facebook.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative — The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. To continue to accelerate progress, a goal to raise $200 million by 2020 is also in place. Together, we can Wage Hope and rewrite the future of pancreatic cancer.

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*credit verbatim via pancan.org*

Bombing survivor focuses on finding cure for #PanCan

A local man who survived the Boston Marathon bombing hopes to make a change and help find a cure for people with pancreatic cancer.

In 2012, avid runner Phil Kent, 59, trained for the Boston Marathon, but four months before the race he had chronic back pain that resulted in a devastating diagnosis – pancreatic cancer.

“I was in total shock and disbelief for the most part because every other aspect of my life was healthy and I felt good,” he said.

Phil, while thinking his days were numbered, focused on making his dream of running the prestigious race into a reality. His physician, Dr. Gary Schwartz at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills, believed exercise would give Phil the fuel he needed to beat his disease.

“When you talk to him about marathons his eyes light up. That’s a very important part of his being,” Schwartz said.

Doctors tailored Phil’s chemotherapy for training and his surgery was scheduled for 10 days after the big race.

But then tragedy struck. As he neared the finish line in Boston on April 15, 2013, his wife Sharon stopped him to take a photo. Phil said that ended up saving his life because seconds later the first bomb went off.

In a photo taken overhead, Phil and his two companions can be seen right next to where the second bomb exploded, about 20 yards away from the finish line.

“As we were coming up, we were grabbing our hands to get our picture taken crossing the finish line. That’s the stage we were at and that’s where we were,” he said.

With major pancreatic surgery just days away, Phil believed he would never race again. But he found inspiration in the Hirshberg Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on pancreatic cancer research. His new focus was on the L.A. Cancer Challenge, a race for the cure.

Now, nearly three years after his diagnosis, Phil wants to inspire other pancreatic cancer patients not to give up. In 2014, he got his chance to cross the Boston finish line.

This Sunday, he hopes thousands of supporters will help him complete what he believes is the race to save lives.

To learn more about the 2015 L.A. Cancer Challenge, check out their website at http://support.pancreatic.org/site/.

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*credit verbatim via Denise Dador and http://abc7.com/society/local-marathon-runner-focuses-on-finding-cure-for-pancreatic-cancer/1045331/*

Spicy Condiment Fights #PanCAN w/ Accuracy

If you love to eat sushi, and particularly the green mustard with a kick which comes with most Japanese dishes – wasabi – then you could very well be fighting one of the most deadly types of pancreatic cancers around.

Otherwise known as Japanese horseradish, wasabi has been shown to kill human pancreatic cancer cells with accuracy. Specifically, the active compounds of wasabi:

“. . .showed that compounds 6-MITC and I7557, but not I7447, inhibited viability of both PANC-1 and BxPC-3 cells. Morphological observation showed mitotic arrest and apoptosis in 6-MITC- and I7557-treated cells. These two compounds induced G2/M phase arrest and hypoploid population. Percentages of ALDH-positive PANC-1 cells were markedly reduced by 6-MITC and I7557 treatment. The expression of CSC signaling molecule SOX2, but not NOTCH1, ABCG2, Sonic hedgehog, or OCT4, was inhibited by 6-MITC and I7557. In conclusion, wasabi compounds 6-MITC and I7557 may possess activity against the growth and CSC phenotypes of human pancreatic cancer cells.”

In other words, when you eat wasabi, you are protecting your body and prohibiting the creation of pancreatic cancer cells from forming.

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*Credit verbatim via Christina Sarich and http://naturalsociety.com*

*image from wired.com*

Diabetes drug ‘suffocates’ pancan cancer stem cells

A new study shows that pancreatic cancer stem cells (PancSCs) are virtually addicted to oxygen-based metabolism, and could be “suffocated” with a drug already used to treat diabetes.

Cancer cells commonly rely on glycolysis, the type of metabolism that does not use oxygen to generate their energy however, researchers from Queen Mary University of London’s Barts Cancer Institute and the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) in Madrid have now found that not all cancer cells are alike when it comes to metabolism.

PancSCs can make use of a more efficient form of metabolism, called oxidative phosphorylation or OXPHOS, which does use oxygen. OXPHOS uses a part of the cell called mitochondria and it is this which can be targeted with anti-diabetic drug, metformin.

Some PancSCs are however able to escape this treatment by being much more flexible in their metabolism, leading to a recurrence of the cancer, but the investigators also found a way to prevent such resistance and force all PancSCs to keep using OXPHOS.

The researchers think that the new discovery could be used to develop treatments that stop the stem cells using oxygen and prevent cancer returning after conventional treatment. A clinical trial is planned for later next year.

Dr Patricia Sancho, first author of the research paper, said:

“We might be able to exploit this reliance on oxygen by targeting the stem cells with drugs that are already available, killing the cancer by cutting off its energy supply.

“In the long term, this could mean that pancreatic cancer patients have more treatment options available to them, including a reduced risk of recurrence following surgery and other treatments.”

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*credit verbatim via http://www.news-medical.net*

 

Effects of Turmeric Curcumin on PanCan Patients

A 2010 article published in Oncology Reports states pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive forms of human cancer, characterized by a very high mortality rate. It represents the fourth leading cause of cancer death in United States, killing 32,000 people annually. With a 5-year survival rate of only 3 percent and a median survival rate of less than six months, pancreatic cancer carries one of the poorest prognoses. The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is one of the worst things a doctor ever has to tell a patient. The only FDA-approved therapies for it, Gemcitabine and Erlotinib, produce objective responses in less than 10 percent of patients, while causing severe side-effects in the majority. There is a desperate need for new options.

Clinical research to test new treatments is split into phases. Phase I trials are just to make sure the treatment is safe, to see how much you can give before it becomes toxic. Curcumin, the natural yellow pigment in the spice turmeric has passed a number of those. In fact, there was so little toxicity, the dosing was limited only by the number of pills patients were willing to swallow.

Phase II trials are conducted to see if the drug actually has an effect. Curcumin did, in 2 of the 21 patients that were evaluated. One patient had a 73 percent tumor reduction, but the effect was short-lived. One lesion remained small, but a curcumin-resistant tumor clone emerged. The other patient, who had a stable disease for over 18 months, showed slow improvement over a year. In fact, the only time that patient’s cancer markers bumped up was during a brief three-week stint where the curcumin was stopped.

So curcumin does seem to help some patients with pancreatic cancer, and most importantly, there appears to be little downside. No curcumin-related toxic effects were observed in up to doses of eight grams per day. What happens after eight grams? We don’t know because no one was willing to take that many pills. The patients were willing to go on one of the nastiest chemotherapy regimens on the planet, but didn’t want to be inconvenienced with swallowing a lot of capsules.

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*credit verbatim via http://www.riseearth.com and Michael Greger, M.D.*

*image credit http://www.riseearth.com*

Ann Walsh with the Lustgarten Foundation

Ann Walsh, Events Director, The Lustgarten Foundation – The Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer

From day one when I was first asked to join The Lustgarten Foundation in 1998, I was – and continue to be – amazed by the tremendous determination and dedication of the tens of thousands of extraordinary people who have joined us in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

At the time, there was little understanding of pancreatic cancer, and only a handful of researchers were studying this disease. Pancreatic cancer is the nation’s most lethal cancer. The overall five-year survival rate is just 7%. There are no early detection tests, no effective long-term treatments and, unless the cancer is surgically removed in its earliest stages, no cure. Yet, only 2% of federal funding is directed toward pancreatic cancer research. To help change these facts, The Lustgarten Foundation, based in Bethpage, Long Island, was established in 1998 by Cablevision Chairman Charles Dolan and Chief Executive James Dolan in honor of former Cablevision Vice Chairman Marc Lustgarten before he died from pancreatic cancer.

Today, I am so proud that The Lustgarten Foundation has grown to become the nation’s largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. Since its inception, the Foundation has committed more than $110 million to over 175 research projects at nearly 60 medical and research centers worldwide in support of promising pancreatic cancer research aimed at developing an early detection test, improving treatments, and finding a cure. Recently, The Lustgarten Foundation established The Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory on Long Island in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The lab is one of the few labs in the world focused exclusively on pancreatic cancer research. And due to Cablevision’s support of The Lustgarten Foundation, 100 percent of every dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research.

As events director, I recall my early days at the Foundation and the beginning of The Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk series. That first walk took place in Long Island, attracting just over 1,000 participants and raised more than $150,000. Today, the Foundation’s walk series now takes places in more than 30 locations across the country, uniting thousands in the fight against this disease. This is in addition to nearly 300 events run by volunteers throughout the year in support of the urgent need to fund more research to find a cure.

I consider myself lucky to have said ‘yes’ when invited so many years ago to work with the Foundation. My life has been transformed. The work is incredibly rewarding. The people I meet at the Foundation’s events across the country are always so inspiring and I am deeply grateful that every day I witness the hope that research brings to so many.

I invite you to see how easy it is to get involved and to learn more at curePC.org. Anyone can get pancreatic cancer, that’s why we need everyone to join us in the fight. Together, we can change the facts about pancreatic cancer.