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A study reveals a direct link between high insulin levels, common among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and pancreatic cancer. The study provides the first detailed explanation of why people with obesity and type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. The research demonstrates that excessive insulin levels overstimulate pancreatic acinar cells, which produce digestive juices. This overstimulation leads to inflammation that converts these cells into precancerous cells. "Alongside the rapid increase in both obesity and type 2 diabetes, we're seeing an alarming rise in pancreatic cancer rates," said Dr. James Johnson. "These findings help...

Richard Roundtree, star of the genre-defining blaxploitation series Shaft, has passed away at 81 years old, according to his agency. Per Deadline, Roundtree died Monday afternoon surrounded by family, after a brief bout with pancreatic cancer. A statement from his representatives reads: “Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” ....Snip..... At the...

Joe Wurzelbacher, otherwise known as ‘Joe The Plumber’ passed away at the age of 49 from pancreatic cancer, a source confirmed to the Daily Caller. Wurzelbacher, who became well known during the 2008 presidential campaign after confronting former President Barack Obama about whether or not his tax plan would end up costing him more, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2023. Conservative radio host Derek Hunter shared the news of Wurzelbacher’s passing in a post on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. “Horrible news. My good friend Joe Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, passed away this morning at the age of...

Patients with pancreatic cancer who took the benzodiazepine lorazepam (Ativan), commonly prescribed to treat anxiety during cancer treatment, had a shorter progression-free survival than patients who did not, according to results published. In contrast, patients who took the benzodiazepine alprazolam (Xanax) had a significantly longer progression-free survival than patients who did not. The researchers examined the relationship between benzodiazepine use and survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. When adjusted, any benzodiazepine use was associated with a 30% lower risk of pancreatic cancer-related death. However, when Feigin and colleagues studied the relationship between individual benzodiazepines and pancreatic cancer outcomes, they found...

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat, being highly resistant to chemotherapy. However, there are no effective alternative therapies to chemotherapy, so chemo remains the best available treatment. Researchers report that a hyperglycemic state—that is, one where the blood glucose level is raised—made pancreatic cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy in a mouse model. (Pancreatic cancer is more formally known as Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and shortened as PDAC). Results were replicated in cell culture and a cohort of patients with metastatic PDAC. These findings present a potentially new method of making chemotherapy more effective against pancreatic cancer,...

Daniel Ellsberg, the former government analyst who leaked a trove of classified documents that became known as the “Pentagon Papers” and has lived near Berkeley for more than four decades, announced that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In a Facebook post Thursday, Ellsberg wrote that doctors told him that he has inoperable pancreatic cancer, and estimated he has three to six months to live. Ellsberg, 91, has decided to forgo chemotherapy.

Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal, and surgical removal of tumor tissue is currently the only potential cure for most patients. Once the cancer has spread beyond the pancreas, treatment options are limited. A recent phase II clinical trial identified a promising combination treatment regimen for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, meaning that their cancer had spread, but only to nearby tissue. The trial's investigators have now uncovered the potential mechanisms behind the treatment's beneficial effects. The combination therapy—losartan+FFX+CRT—includes the blood pressure drug losartan plus a chemotherapy cocktail called FOLFIRINOX (folinic acid, fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin), followed by chemoradiation. The...

Evel Knievel's son Robbie Knievel - who was also known as Kaptain Robbie Knievel - has died at the age 60. The daredevil passed away after being in hospice following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He took after his father's career as he was known for his death-defying motorcycle jumps, and racked up a total of 350 jumps over his lifetime. Robbie started at a young age and had his father tutor him in the art of jumping a motorcycle over objects. One of Robbie's most publicized stunts came in 2009 when he jumped over the man-made volcano in...

The novel approach combines traditional chemotherapy drugs with a new method of tumor irradiation. A combination of internal radiation and chemotherapy dissolves tumors in 80% of mice across multiple models. Duke University biomedical engineers have demonstrated the most effective pancreatic cancer treatment yet recorded in mouse models. While most mouse trials consider just stopping growth to be a success, the new treatment fully eliminated tumors in 80% of mice across many model types, including those considered to be the most difficult to treat. The approach combines traditional chemotherapy drugs with a new method for irradiating the tumor. The treatment implants...

Vladimir Putin does have early stage Parkinson's disease and pancreatic cancer, leaked spy documents have alleged in the latest unverified claim about the tyrant's ill health. The Russian leader has been plagued with rumours about his illnesses for months and he has regularly appeared twitching and unsteady in public, sparking hope in Ukraine and the West the despot could soon relinquish power. Claims have been circulating among opposition figures, fuelled by his unexplained absences and his shaky public appearances, that he is battling serious health problems but they have always been rubbished by the Kremlin. -snip- 'Putin is regularly stuffed...

Pancreatic cancer is a silent disease. For many people, it has no symptoms until it is fairly advanced. Weight loss and increased blood glucose levels are known signs, but it has been unknown—until now—when these changes occur and to what extent. If we can better understand how and when these changes happen before pancreatic cancer diagnosis, we can use this knowledge to diagnose the disease earlier. Researchers investigated known signs of pancreatic cancer—weight loss, high blood sugar and diabetes—and looked at when they develop in relation to cancer. We found that dramatic weight loss in people with pancreatic cancer started...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common and most lethal form of pancreatic cancer. A unique feature of PDAC is fibrous connective tissue within the tumor. The main component of the matrix is type I collagen or Col 1. In a new study, Hua Su, Ph.D. and Fei Yang, Ph.D. report that Col 1 that has been cleaved by matrix metalloproteases (enzymes that break down matrix proteins, such as collagen) stimulates tumor growth while intact and non-cleaved Col 1 inhibits tumor growth. "Moreover," said Su, "cleaved Col 1 activates a signaling pathway that stimulates energy production in pancreatic cancer...

Located in the back of our abdomen, the pancreas is a long flattened organ and gland that is part of both our digestive and endocrine systems. The two main functions pancreas has are producing enzymes to help with digestion and sending the hormone insulin (among others) to control the blood glucose level in the body.Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the pancreas. It is the most lethal of cancers, with a current overall five-year survival rate of approximately 7 percent. At the moment, it is the fourth most common cause of cancer...

A new vaccine developed using the same technology as the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid jab has raised hopes of a cure for pancreatic cancer. In early trial results of the jab - which uses mRNA theory and is designed to prevent tumours from returning after surgery - half of the patients given a vaccine remained cancer free 18 months later. The inoculation, developed by scientists working with pharmaceutical firm BioNTech and US company Genentech, has raised hopes of finally finding a cure for the deadliest common cancer which claims the lives of 90 per cent of patients within two years of diagnosis....

Aerobic exercise reprograms the immune system to reduce pancreatic tumor growth and amplify the effects of immunotherapy, a study finds. The study provides new insight into how the mammalian immune system, designed to attack foreign invaders like bacteria, can also recognize cancer cells as abnormal. Exercise-induced increases in levels of the hormone adrenalin cause changes to the immune system, say the study authors, including in the activity of cells that respond to signaling protein interleukin-15 (IL-15). Biological systems that fight disease and repair tissue are intertwined, the researchers say, with IL-15 signaling, based on the context, either encouraging the recovery...

The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chance of successful treatment. Pancreatic cancer, for example, is one of the deadliest cancers. Physicians rarely find the tumor before it causes symptoms, and by then, it has spread to other tissues. For the few patients diagnosed before the cancer spreads, the 5-year survival rate is almost 60%; otherwise, the survival rate is less than 5%. “Pancreatic cancer has the lowest five-year relative survival rate of all major cancer killers and is the only one for which both the incidence and death rates are increasing,” explained Dr. Andrew Lowy, clinical director for...

With the eyes of the world on Vladimir Putin, questions are being asked about the Russian leader's state of mind after he announced the invasion of Ukraine in 'rambling, terrifying, apocalyptic' fashion. Rumours surrounding the Russian leader's health have been swirling for years, with repeated reports suggesting that he is suffering from cancer and Parkinson's disease. On top of that, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on both the President's physical and mental health can't be underestimated, and it's been suggested that brain fog as a result of Long Covid could be impairing his cognitive function. Although it's not clear...

What makes pancreatic cancer so deadly is its covert and quick spread. Now, a "time machine" built by Purdue University engineers has shown a way to reverse the course of cancer before it spreads throughout the pancreas. "These findings open up the possibility of designing a new gene therapy or drug because now we can convert cancerous cells back into their normal state," said Bumsoo Han, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering and program leader of the Purdue Center for Cancer Research. Han has a courtesy appointment in biomedical engineering. The time machine that Han's lab built is a lifelike...

A treatment combination involving the addition of a form of vitamin A to the current standard treatment regimen for pancreatic cancer is safe for patients, according to an early phase clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London. Following the encouraging results of this phase I trial (STARPAC), published today in Nature Communications, a second clinical trial called STARPAC2 will now investigate whether the addition of this form of vitamin A, called ATRA, to standard chemotherapy can enhance the efficacy of treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer. STARPAC was launched following research conducted by Professor Kocher's laboratory, which found...

Alex Trebek, the genial television host who spent three decades testing the general knowledge of contestants and viewers of the hit U.S. game show “Jeopardy,” has died. He was 80. He died on at home on Sunday morning, according to a tweet by the show. Trebek announced he had advanced pancreatic cancer in March 2019. Two months later Trebek said some of his tumors had shrunk by more than 50% and he was near remission, according to People magazine. He returned to the show in September for its 36th season, but soon revealed that his health had taken a turn...