A new preclinical study in mice shows that precancerous cells in the pancreas can be eliminated before they have the chance to become tumors. Using an experimental therapy to target microscopic precancerous lesions in the pancreas nearly doubled survival in mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) compared to the same treatment given after cancer developed.
The research, published in Science, was led by physician-scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center. It’s the first time scientists have shown that a medical intervention could stop growth of pre-cancerous lesions in the pancreas before they develop into pancreatic cancer, providing strong evidence for the burgeoning field of cancer interception.
“I’m convinced that cancer interception will become the next frontier of cancer therapy,” said co-corresponding author Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, director of the Abramson Cancer Center.