Experts find pancreatic cancer tumours can respond to  immunotherapy combination

 People suffering from a rare, hard-to-treat form of pancreatic cancer could be given targeted immunotherapies, new research suggests.

Fresh hopes have been raised that one of the deadliest forms of cancer may after all be responsive to certain forms of immunotherapy.

Researchers in Texas have found that a three-pronged immunotherapy combination provided encouraging preliminary findings in targeting pancreatic cancer tumours.

According to the Irish Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer develops when abnormal cells in the pancreas grow out of control, forming a tumour, with more than 600 people diagnosed every year in the country.

About nine in 10 patients will have adenocarcinoma, the most common form of the disease. 

It is regarded as one of the gravest forms of cancer, with very few symptoms to begin with, meaning it is often very advanced once diagnosed. The prognosis is poor for most patients.

High-profile sufferers of pancreatic cancer include legendary opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, British actor Alan Rickman, and Hollywood star Patrick Swayze.

In recent days, former Glasgow Celtic forward Frank McGarvey died shortly after announcing he had pancreatic cancer, while Italian footballing great Gianluca Vialli is currently receiving care for the disease for the second time.

Apple founder Steve Jobs suffered from a rarer form of pancreatic cancer than the more common adenocarcinoma. 

Immunotherapies

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced that they have discovered a novel combination of immunotherapies that have yielded promising results in their study.

Its triple-combination immunotherapy approach targeted checkpoints in both T cells and myeloid suppressor cells.

Corresponding author and professor of cancer biology, Ronald DePinho, said: "This triple combination therapy led to an unprecedented curative response in our models. The prevailing view has been that pancreatic cancer is impervious to immunotherapy, but this preclinical study shows that it can be vulnerable to the right combination therapy. 

"Moreover, the presence of these targets in human pancreatic cancer specimens raises the exciting possibility that such therapeutic combinations could one day help our patients."

Tumour regression

The targeting of three types of cells and proteins resulted in complete tumour regression and improved overall survival in 90% of preclinical models, and in a more stringent lab model that develops multiple spontaneously arising tumours with higher treatment resistance, the combination achieved complete tumour regression in over 20% of cases, the researchers said.

Mr DePinho added: "These are encouraging results, especially considering the lack of effective immunotherapy options in pancreatic cancer. We are optimistic that pancreatic cancers, and hopefully other non-immunogenic cancers, can ultimately be rendered vulnerable to combination immunotherapy.”