P&S associate research scientists Dr. Zao-zhong Su, Dr. Irina V. Lebedeva and Dr. Rahul V. Gopalkrishnan participated in the research as did Dr. Cy Stein, associate professor of clinical medicine (in pharmacology).
Collaborators on this project included Dr. John C. Reed, scientific director, Burnham Institute, La Jolla, Calif., Dr. Neil I. Goldstein, vice president, DGI Biotechnologies, Edison, N.J., and Dr. Paul Dent, associate professor, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond.
The Michael and Stella Chernow endowment and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation supported the research. Dr. Fisher also is Director of Neuro-oncology Research and the Michael and Stella Chernow Urological Cancer Research Scientist at P&S.
The 6-inch long pancreas is a gland located in the abdomen that makes pancreatic juices, including hormones and insulin that help digest food.
Pancreatic cancer has such a low survival rate because it is difficult to detect early. By the time a person has symptoms, such as jaundice or abdominal pain, the cancer may have reached a large size and have spread to other organs.
The National Cancer Institute says patients with any stage of pancreatic cancer can be considered candidates for clinical trials because of the poor outcome of existing therapies, although conventional treatment can alleviate symptoms.
The risk of getting pancreatic cancer increases with age. Smoking and diabetes are other risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
