They identify a new biomarker for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

A team co-led by researchers from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has identified a new biomarker early diagnosis for pancreatic cancer most common, the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma−which develops from cells that line the small tubes, called ducts, in the pancreas−, which is the third leading cause of cancer death in developed countries. In Spain, around 8,700 cases were reported in 2021.

This work, published in the journal eBioMedicine, associates the presence of a protein, called tyrosine kinase AXL, for the detection of this type of tumors. This discovery represents a great advance because it would allow the diagnosis through a blood test and because, until now, there was no biomarker for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

The discovery was led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) and the Barcelona Biomedical Research Institute (IIBB-CSIC), a CSIC center associated with the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS).

early detection

The study analyzed the usefulness of the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase, a protein present in cell surface, to detect the presence of pancreatic cancer. This protein is usually absent in normal cells, but its presence has been shown to be markedly increased in certain cell types. tumorslike the pancreatic.

“AXL protein is a specific marker that tells us it already exists malignant cellsyes The fact that this marker is linked to cells at a tumor stage gives it great importance due to its specificity in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer”, he indicates. Pilar Navarro, researcher at IIBB-CSIC and IMIM-Hospital del Mar.

to prove the diagnostic utility of this marker through a blood test, the researchers analyzed samples from more than 200 patients with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic tumors.

“In this way, the presence of the soluble protein AXL in the blood was demonstrated as a marker in patients who had already developed the tumor, without being present either in healthy individuals or in those with chronic pancreatitis”, they point out. Neus Martinez-Bosch, researcher at IMIM-Hospital del Mar and Helena Christopher, from IIBB (CSIC-IDIBAPS), co-first signatories of the work.

This conclusion makes it possible to advance in the detection of pancreatic cancer, identifying the tumor even in patients with pancreatitis –inflammation of the pancreas–, a condition that can make diagnosis difficult. Thus, a new diagnostic marker is obtained, a very valuable tool, since the scarcity of markers means that only 20% of patients can be operated on in time, which favors the metastasis and resistance to treatment.

apply diagnostics

This new marker represents a major innovation in the detection of a type of cancer for which there is no early diagnosis biomarker. Currently, “the CA19-9 protein is only used to assess the response to treatment, but it cannot be used for diagnosis due to its low specificity”, he points out. Laura Visa, doctor in Medical Oncology Service at Hospital del Mar.

“Therefore, having a new tool is of special relevance, especially considering that early diagnosis is essential for tumor surgery, the only curative treatment option”, adds the specialist.

The future of the study is related to the analysis of patients who may benefit from this new marker, since a small number of pancreatic tumors do not express the AXL protein. However, the combination of analysis of both proteins, CA19-9 and AXL, determines the presence of cancer cells with a sensitivity of 90%.

“We are very interested in knowing why some cancers do not express AXL, this could give us clues to know how tumor mechanisms work that we can use as targets for treatments”, he concludes. Pablo Garcia de Frutos, researcher at IIBB (CSIC-IDIBAPS).

Rights: Creative Commons.