New study targets Achilles' heel of pancreatic cancer, with promising results

(Salk Institute) Advanced pancreatic cancer is often symptomless, leading to late diagnosis only after metastases have spread throughout the body. Now, Salk Institute researchers, along with an international team of collaborators, have uncovered the role of a signaling protein, called LIF, that may be the Achilles' heel of pancreatic cancer. The findings show that pancreatic stellate cells -- resident cells typically dormant in normal tissue -- secrete LIF to convey stimulatory signals to tumor cells to drive pancreatic cancer development and progression.
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news