Researchers make DNA discovery to understand pancreatic cancer that could lead to cure

Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed at a late stage and, in most cases, the patients die within three months after they are diagnosed with this type of cancer.

Scientists have made a DNA discovery that could potentially be helpful in curing pancreatic cancer. Known to be the 12th deadliest cancer in the world, its survival rate is reportedly one of the worst among all diseases.

Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at a late stage and, in most cases, the patients die within three months after they are diagnosed with the cancer.

The Guardian reported that researchers from UK and US have found out that pancreatic cancer can "shut down molecules in the body's most important genes" that lets the disease "grow and spread."

Understanding how the pancreatic cancer works will help researchers find potential cure for it, said Dr Maria Hatziapostolou, from Nottingham Trent University’s John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.

Adding that pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate, she said it is important to study this cancer and come up with treatments and find out how it spreads.

"The survival of patients beyond five years has improved very little for some time and so it’s extremely important that we find new ways to better understand this disease, how it spreads and why it is so aggressive," she said as reported by The Guardian.

To understand how pancreatic cancer works, the researchers found that the cancer triggered a process called "DNA methylation". The process causes molecules to switch off which then leads tumour to grow rapidly.

Research showed that the HNF4A gene switches off, which is an important gene that helps in the functioning of many organs in the body. Additionally, the study says that pancreatic cancer can eventually "disable" the benefits of the genes.

"Improving our fundamental understanding of what makes pancreatic cancer grow and spread so rapidly is vital if we are to make much-needed breakthroughs," Dr Chris Macdonald, the head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said.