Prognosis of adenocarcinoma recurrence

Recently, more and more attention has been paid to the influence of mutations and gene interactions on the progression of pancreatic cancer. Adenocarcinoma is a malignant tumor of glandular tissue, the most common tumor of the pancreas.

The new multicenter study by Aram Hezel and his group from the University of Rochester, New York, involved 356 patients (191 men and 165 women, average age 67 years). They were diagnosed with operable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

All patients underwent surgical removal of adenocarcinoma. The deleted material is sent for research: The DNA of tumor cells, as well as healthy cells adjacent to it, was sequenced (the amino acid sequence they encode was determined). The data were collected from 2012 to 2016, analyzed from December 2016 to March 2017.

Targeted attention was paid to mutations of four genes: KRAS, CDKN2A, SMAD4 and TP53: all of them affect tumor growth in one way or another. It was found that cancer recurrence occurred earlier among patients who had defects in three or all four of the listed genes. There was a similar dependence in survival rates: 5-year survival with a defect in 1-2 genes was 18.4%, in three genes – 14.1%, in four - 8.2%.

This study makes it possible to predict the likelihood of recurrence after surgical treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, as well as to have an idea of survival after surgery.

In another recently published study, a group of scientists from the same university came to the conclusion that another effective tool for prognosis after pancreatic cancer surgery is an accurate determination of the spread of the tumor relative to the lymph nodes according to the classification of the Joint American Committee on Cancer (American Joint Committee on Cancer, AJCC).

Currently, a study is being conducted on the search for biomarkers of pancreatic cancer of the second-fourth stages, the determination of which could predict the further course of the disease and its outcomes.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is an extremely aggressive tumor that affects patients of the older age group and has low survival rates. She is prone to relapse even after timely surgery. Such studies will help to assess the likelihood of relapse and take measures for its early detection and treatment.

Article by Zhi Rong Qian et al. Association of Alterations in Main Driver Genes With Outcomes of Patients With Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma is published in JAMA Oncology, Morales-Oyarvide et al. Lymph node metastases in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: predictors of disease recurrence and survival – published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University Of Rochester Medical Center: Scientists Link Pancreatic Cancer Survival to Four Genes.