Thanks to a chance encounter in a bike shed, two research groups at the Francis Crick Institute have discovered two distinct ways that pancreatic cancer tumors form and grow.
The first research group specializes in pancreatic cancer and stem cells. This team is led by Axel Behrens. The second research group examines biological processes using physics to enhance scientific understanding. This team is led by Guillaume Salbreux. The two teams worked together for six years, determined to uncover the reason behind this cancer’s unique formation.
The Discovery
The Pancreas has a network of ducts which link it to other organs in the body. Most pancreatic cancer tumors form in these ducts, not in the pancreas itself. However, it has long been a mystery why the tumors grow in unique and differing shapes. 2D tissue models have been used for years in attempt to gain understanding. However, it wasn’t until 3D imaging was used by this group of researchers that the scientific community could accurately explain the pattern of tumor growth.
By using the 3D images and then generating an accurate computerized model, researchers uncovered that there are actually two unique ways tumors form in the ducts of the pancreas. One tumor type grows inwards (endophytic) and one grows outwards (exophytic). The tumors were found to grow outwards when the duct was less than 20 micrometers in diameter. When the duct is wider than this, the tumors grow inwards. It truly comes down to physics. Researchers also found that the direction of the tumor growth is initiated as soon as the first defective cells begin to divide.
With this new understanding, we can begin to delve further into the research of these two specific types of tumors. Future study may indicate for example that one type spreads differently or is more aggressive than the other.
For Other Cancers
After this brilliant discovery for pancreatic cancer, the research team began investigating how they could use this new technology to investigate other cancers. They applied the same 3D imaging technique to other organs in the body such as the liver and the lungs. They found that the tumors behaved the same way in the ducts/airways of these organs. This indicates that this behavior is not solely related to pancreatic cancer and that this technology could help in the investigation of other diseases.
This 3D imaging technology is now officially patented. Researchers hope that in years to come, this new technique for examining tumors and our continuously increasing understanding of their development, will help aid the search for effective treatments. Additionally, this process could improve the rate and accuracy of diagnosis. Ultimately, knowledge of how cancer behaves in the early stages is essential to understanding how to treat it in its later stages. Thanks to this collaboration between researchers, we’re one step closer on the path of finding a cure for pancreatic and other cancers.
You can read the full findings from this study here, published in the journal Nature.
You can also read more about this research and the collaboration which led to it here.
