Pancreatic cancer cells evade drugs through genetic transformation

Researchers have identified how pancreatic cancer cells evade medical treatments by continuously transforming their genetic activity. A study led by Despoina Kalfakakou at New York University, published in Nature Genetics, utilized genetic analysis on 443,451 single cells from 62 pancreatic tumors to track these changes.

The findings reveal that cells can switch between different types in response to therapy, a process driven largely by the Myc gene. This evolutionary mechanism contributes to the high mortality rate of ductal adenocarcinoma, which affects approximately 85% of patients within five years of diagnosis. Scientists suggest that targeting the mechanisms behind this tumor evolution, specifically the Myc gene, may offer new pathways to slow cancer progression.