http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Specific chemical modifications to proteins called histones, which are found in the nucleus of cells and act as spools around which DNA is wound, can be used to predict prognosis and response to treatment in subsets patients with pancreatic cancer, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found. http://phys.org/news185104379.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:10:01 EST news185104379 Consuming two or more soft drinks per week increased the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by nearly twofold compared to individuals who did not consume soft drinks, according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://phys.org/news184828475.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:30:02 EST news184828475 Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have found one reason that pancreatic cancer tumors are so difficult to treat with drugs. They have shown how a molecular switch steps up pancreatic cancer cell survival as well as resistance to a standard chemotherapy drug, and have identified alternate routes cancer cells take to avoid the effects of the therapy. http://phys.org/news183924018.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:20:01 EST news183924018 A person who has multiple family members with pancreatic cancer ("familial pancreatic cancer") is six times as likely to develop that cancer. This risk is even higher, nine times that of the general population, if one of their relatives developed their cancer under the age of 50, according to a new study published online January 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://phys.org/news182582259.html Medicine & Health Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:00:01 EST news182582259 Pancreatic tumors can be identified by a readily detectable marker that shows promise as a basis for immune therapy against the disease, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. http://phys.org/news178823918.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:30:02 EST news178823918 There are minimal data assessing the relationship between diabetes with gallbladder, biliary and pancreatic cancer. Recent small studies have suggested an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer only in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). http://phys.org/news177851081.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:40:01 EST news177851081 Tiny particles that can carry drugs and target cancer cells may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer. New research to be presented in November at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles reveals that tumor-penetrating microparticles (TPM) have been specifically designed to break through hard-to-infiltrate barriers and deliver drugs more effectively and efficiently than the standard form of chemotherapy such as those injected through a vein. http://phys.org/news176392083.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:20:01 EST news176392083 (PhysOrg.com) -- MIT cancer biologists have identified a subpopulation of cells that can give rise to pancreatic cancer. They also found that tumors can form in other, more mature pancreatic cell types, but only when they are injured or inflamed, suggesting that pancreatic cancer can arise from different types of cells depending on the circumstances. http://phys.org/news176386790.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:20:27 EST news176386790 A Henry Ford Hospital study found that hepatitis B does not increase the risk for pancreatic cancer - and that only age is a contributing factor. http://phys.org/news176266146.html Medicine & Health Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:49:33 EST news176266146 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have expanded on previous studies, and there may be a new weapon in the arsenal for immune-based strategies in treating pancreatic cancer - mesothelin protein. Findings also showed that circulating mesothelin is a marker of pancreatic disease. http://phys.org/news175447210.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:02 EST news175447210 For the first time researchers have shown that by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called TAK-1, it is possible to make pancreatic cancer cells sensitive to chemotherapy, opening the way for the development of a new drug to treat the disease. http://phys.org/news172992288.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:40:01 EST news172992288 Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the principal effector cells in pancreatic fibrosis. They are activated by profibrogenic mediators, which include, for example, cytokines and ethanol metabolites. So far, there are no therapies available to interfere with fibrogenesis in the diseased organ. http://phys.org/news172397446.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:12:01 EST news172397446 A molecular signature that helps account for the aggressive behavior of a variety of cancers such as pancreatic, breast and melanoma may also predict the likelihood of successful treatment with a particular anti-cancer drug. The finding, which could lead to a personalized approach to treatment for a variety of solid tumors that are currently resistant to therapies, will be published September 6 in the advance online edition of Nature Medicine. http://phys.org/news171462152.html Medicine & Health Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:23:38 EST news171462152 Regardless of risk factors linked to pancreatic cancer, such as smoking and body mass index (BMI), blacks experienced higher rates of pancreatic cancer death than whites. http://phys.org/news171031591.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:00:01 EST news171031591 Do patients choose where to get their care based on how long it takes to them to get there? Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have recently documented a growing trend in the centralization of cancer surgery—more patients seeking care at high volume centers, which are generally located in metropolitan areas. While trends like this should improve patient outcomes, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that there are still a good number of patients who will not travel a long distance to get their care. http://phys.org/news170960897.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:40:04 EST news170960897 A multidisciplinary team led by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Edmund M. Clarke has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Expeditions in Computing program to create revolutionary computational tools that will advance science on a broad array of fronts, from discovering new cancer treatments to designing safer aircraft. http://phys.org/news169890411.html Technology Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:04 EST news169890411 Mad cow disease is caused by the accumulation of an abnormal protein, the prion, in the brain of an affected patient. Outside of the brain, very little is known about prions. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, researchers have, for the first time, identified the prion as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers in humans; the five year survival rate is less than 10 percent. http://phys.org/news169751882.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:50:01 EST news169751882 Attention all smokeless tobacco users! It's time to banish the comforting notion that snuff and chewing tobacco are safe because they don't burn and produce inhalable smoke like cigarettes. A study that looked beyond the well-researched tobacco hazards, nitrosamines and nicotine, has discovered a single pinch -- the amount in a portion -- of smokeless tobacco exposes the user to the same amount of another group of dangerous chemicals as the smoke of five cigarettes. http://phys.org/news169644304.html Chemistry Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:40:01 EST news169644304 A new diagnostic tool developed by Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists has shown promising results when used with patients of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer due to the difficulty of diagnosing it in its early stages. The method, which studies carbohydrate structures in the bloodstream, could lead to the development of blood tests that can detect cancer more effectively. http://phys.org/news168526022.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:00:02 EST news168526022 Taking the most commonly-prescribed anti-diabetic drug, metformin, reduces an individual's risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 62 percent, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, published in the Aug. 1 issue of Gastroenterology. http://phys.org/news168324813.html Medicine & Health Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:00:01 EST news168324813 Smoking has once again been implicated in the development of advanced cancer. Exposure to nicotine by way of cigarette smoking may increase the likelihood that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma will become metastatic, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. Their study was published in the August edition of the journal Surgery. http://phys.org/news167922110.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:30:02 EST news167922110 Every year, 42,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Few live very long, and less than 5% are still alive five years after diagnosis. http://phys.org/news167310392.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:30:01 EST news167310392 Prognosis of pancreatic cancer is poor. Recently, it has been clarified that the grade of tumor angiogenesis is a useful prognostic marker in human cancer, including pancreatic cancer. To establish the grade of tumor angiogenesis by non-invasive imaging may be important clinically. However, there are only a few such reports on pancreatic cancer. http://phys.org/news166968779.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:17:44 EST news166968779 High intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study published online June 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://phys.org/news165255064.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:11:34 EST news165255064 In reviewing the weight history of pancreatic cancer patients across their life spans, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have determined that a high body mass index in early adulthood may play a significant role in an individual developing the disease at an earlier age. http://phys.org/news164994503.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:49:15 EST news164994503 Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with poor prognosis. This warrants the development of novel therapies including gene therapy. However, clinical studies have demonstrated poor efficacy of adenoviral gene therapy because of the absence of adenoviral binding sites on pancreatic cancer cells such as the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR). Circumventing CAR-mediated entry therefore seems a promising option to improve adenoviral entry into pancreatic cancer cells and to enhance the efficacy of adenoviral vectors. http://phys.org/news164977499.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:06:32 EST news164977499 A set of expert consensus-based, quality-of-care indicators identified considerable variability in the quality of pancreatic cancer care among hospitals and may be used to evaluate and identify areas for improvement, according to a new study in the June 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://phys.org/news163822485.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:15:36 EST news163822485 A protein related to aggressive cancers can actually improve the efficacy of gemcitabine at treating pancreatic cancer, according to a Priority Report in Cancer Research, published by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University. http://phys.org/news163331753.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:56:19 EST news163331753 Pancreatic cancer and bile duct cancer are difficult to diagnose and often fatal because they are discovered in the advanced stages of the disease. Researchers have developed new tests that double the ability to detect bile duct and pancreatic cancers, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the June issue of Gastroenterology. http://phys.org/news163061370.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:49:53 EST news163061370 A drug widely used to treat Type 2 diabetes may have unintended effects on the pancreas that could lead to a form of low-grade pancreatitis in some patients and a greater risk of pancreatic cancer in long-term users, UCLA researchers have found. http://phys.org/news160326333.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:05:54 EST news160326333