Obesity is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers. "Why" is not clearly understood. Researchers from Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center are partnering to uncover the mechanism that links obesity and pancreatic cancer.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (PRWEB) January 25, 2019
Researchers at Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center are partnering to study why one of the most common conditions affecting Americans – obesity – is also one of the biggest risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers, with five-year survival rates of less than 10 percent. And while death rates for most cancers are declining, the death rate for pancreatic cancer is actually increasing slightly each year. Pancreatic cancer usually causes symptoms only after the disease has advanced, and no reliable screening test exists that can detect it in its early stages.
In addition to studying new treatments and potential screening methods, researchers are also looking at modifiable risk factors for pancreatic cancer, one of which is obesity.
"Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect and challenging to treat," said Dulabh Monga, MD, medical oncologist at AHN Cancer Institute and Program Director, Hematology Oncology Fellowship. "We know that people who are obese are at about 20 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. About 40 percent of Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and those numbers are continuing to rise, putting many more people at risk."
"However, the mechanisms that underlie the obesity-cancer link are not well understood. In our research, we hypothesize that fat cells in and around the pancreas imprint neutrophils – a type of white blood cell that protects us from infection – in a way that their anti-tumor immunity function is suppressed," Dr. Monga said.
"Other theories have included hormonal changes associated with excessive fat, and increased exposure to carcinogens due to increased food consumption. Obesity is also associated with diabetes, which in turn is linked to pancreatic cancer development.
"Research that clarifies the complex connection between obesity and pancreatic cancer could help us identify people most at risk, develop preventive strategies or targeted therapies, and eventually improve the outlook for people facing this devastating disease," Dr. Monga said
"We live in a time of great progress in cancer detection and treatment, yet many challenges remain. At AHN Cancer Institute we believe collaboration holds the key to progress on diseases such as pancreatic cancer that are difficult to screen for and treat," said David Parda, MD, Chair, AHN Cancer Institute. "This important research on one of the biggest risk factors for pancreatic cancer is an excellent example of how our partnership with Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is advancing medical research and paving the way for new insights that could benefit patients for years to come."
AHN Cancer Institute provides leading oncology expertise and programs at the network's hospitals and affiliated clinics that serve patients from western Pennsylvania, Erie, West Virginia and Ohio.
Highmark Health and AHN are in the midst of a nearly $300 million investment to expand and enhance cancer care options in the western PA region. In addition to five new community cancer centers, AHN is also building a new academic cancer center at Allegheny General Hospital and further strengthening its unique collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, offering enhanced local access to Hopkins' cancer expertise and clinical trials.
About Allegheny Health Network
Allegheny Health Network, a Highmark Health Company, is a western Pennsylvania-based integrated healthcare system that serves patients from across a five state region that includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The Network's Cancer Institute employs more than 200 physicians and 500 oncology professionals who provide a complete spectrum of oncology care at more than 20 affiliated oncology clinics, including access to state-of-the-art technologies and new therapies being explored in clinical cancer trials. The Cancer Institute has the only cancer program in the Pittsburgh region with Integrated Network Cancer Program accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and its radiation oncology program is the largest in the country accredited by the American College of Radiology. AHN Cancer Institute is a Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certified practice, and is accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. AHN also has a formal affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, one of the nation's 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, for research, medical education and clinical services. To schedule an appointment with an AHN oncologist, please call 412.DOCTORS or visit http://www.ahn.org/find-a-doctor.
Researchers at Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center are partnering to study why one of the most common conditions affecting Americans – obesity – is also one of the biggest risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers, with five-year survival rates of less than 10 percent. And while death rates for most cancers are declining, the death rate for pancreatic cancer is actually increasing slightly each year. Pancreatic cancer usually causes symptoms only after the disease has advanced, and no reliable screening test exists that can detect it in its early stages.
In addition to studying new treatments and potential screening methods, researchers are also looking at modifiable risk factors for pancreatic cancer, one of which is obesity.
"Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect and challenging to treat," said Dulabh Monga, MD, medical oncologist at AHN Cancer Institute and Program Director, Hematology Oncology Fellowship. "We know that people who are obese are at about 20 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. About 40 percent of Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and those numbers are continuing to rise, putting many more people at risk."
"However, the mechanisms that underlie the obesity-cancer link are not well understood. In our research, we hypothesize that fat cells in and around the pancreas imprint neutrophils – a type of white blood cell that protects us from infection – in a way that their anti-tumor immunity function is suppressed," Dr. Monga said.
"Other theories have included hormonal changes associated with excessive fat, and increased exposure to carcinogens due to increased food consumption. Obesity is also associated with diabetes, which in turn is linked to pancreatic cancer development.
"Research that clarifies the complex connection between obesity and pancreatic cancer could help us identify people most at risk, develop preventive strategies or targeted therapies, and eventually improve the outlook for people facing this devastating disease," Dr. Monga said
"We live in a time of great progress in cancer detection and treatment, yet many challenges remain. At AHN Cancer Institute we believe collaboration holds the key to progress on diseases such as pancreatic cancer that are difficult to screen for and treat," said David Parda, MD, Chair, AHN Cancer Institute. "This important research on one of the biggest risk factors for pancreatic cancer is an excellent example of how our partnership with Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is advancing medical research and paving the way for new insights that could benefit patients for years to come."
AHN Cancer Institute provides leading oncology expertise and programs at the network's hospitals and affiliated clinics that serve patients from western Pennsylvania, Erie, West Virginia and Ohio.
Highmark Health and AHN are in the midst of a nearly $300 million investment to expand and enhance cancer care options in the western PA region. In addition to five new community cancer centers, AHN is also building a new academic cancer center at Allegheny General Hospital and further strengthening its unique collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, offering enhanced local access to Hopkins' cancer expertise and clinical trials.
About Allegheny Health Network
Allegheny Health Network, a Highmark Health Company, is a western Pennsylvania-based integrated healthcare system that serves patients from across a five state region that includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The Network's Cancer Institute employs more than 200 physicians and 500 oncology professionals who provide a complete spectrum of oncology care at more than 20 affiliated oncology clinics, including access to state-of-the-art technologies and new therapies being explored in clinical cancer trials. The Cancer Institute has the only cancer program in the Pittsburgh region with Integrated Network Cancer Program accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and its radiation oncology program is the largest in the country accredited by the American College of Radiology. AHN Cancer Institute is a Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certified practice, and is accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. AHN also has a formal affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, one of the nation's 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, for research, medical education and clinical services. To schedule an appointment with an AHN oncologist, please call 412.DOCTORS or visit http://www.ahn.org/find-a-doctor.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/ahn_johns_hopkins_researchers_probe_obesity_pancreatic_cancer_link/prweb16058924.htm
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