Immunotherapy and Focused Sound Waves Combo Shows Promising Results in Treating Pancreatic Cancer, Study Says

Pancreatic cancer is dubbed the "silent killer" because it is the most deadly common cancer, with only seven percent of diagnosed people surviving past the five-year mark. Now, British scientists have hailed a major breakthrough with a combination of treatment methods that could significantly improve survival rates.

The team led by researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research in London targeted pancreatic tumors in mice with sound waves alongside injections of antibodies that mimic the effects of the immune checkpoint, which inhibit drugs.

(Photo : Unsplash/National Cancer Institute)
Pancreatic Desmoplasia

Immunotherapy and Focused Sound Waves for Pancreatic Treatment

In the study titled "Pulsed Focused Ultrasound Can Improve the Anti-cancer Effects of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Murine Pancreatic Cancer" published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, scientists used a combination of immunotherapy and pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (pHIFU) to target tumors in mice.

Cancer cells are very wise in evading the attack from the immune system as it uses an immune cell brake or otherwise known as a "checkpoint," to prevent it from doing its job. According to ICR's news release, the scientists used immune checkpoint inhibitors to release this brake and allow the immune cells to attack cancer cells.

Immunotherapy drugs, such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab, are given to cancer patients for treatment. However, many cancer types, especially pancreatic cancer, do not respond well to them. But a combination of immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or ultrasound could boost their effectiveness, while pHIFU can break up dense tissues that can exclude these drugs from tumors.

Those mice who received the 2-in-1 treatment lived longer compared to those who were only treated with neither or just one of the pHIFU or immunotherapy. More so, those who received a combination of the two treatments performed better in several other measures of treatment effectiveness.

Researchers noted that exposure to pHIFU leads to the formation of acoustic cavitation in the tumors that cause them to break up and allow immune cells to enter and attack cancer cells.

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Breakthrough Treatment Could Add Months of Life on Cancer Patients

Researchers Dr. Petros Mouratidis said that the 2-in-1 treatment could add several months of life in humans as they hope it would potentially cure pancreatic cancer. The Independent reported that if human trials are successful, the breakthrough treatment could be in use in the next five years. Also, they are confident that it will work even at the later stage of the disease when cancer has already spread.

Pancreatic Cancer UK head of research Dr. Chris MacDonald said that although the findings of the study are exciting because it highlights the importance of testing new, innovative approaches, further research is still needed.

Why Is Pancreatic Cancer Considered a Silent Killer?

According to Birmingham Live, pancreatic cancer is considered a silent killer because the tumor could spread throughout the body without any symptoms, and no screening tools are available to detect it. More so, the cancer cells surround themselves with soft tissue that makes it more challenging to treat, hence the high mortality rate of people diagnosed with the disease.

Despite decades of major advancements in other fields of cancer treatment, the survival rate of pancreatic cancer in the past decades has not improved. Most of them die from liver failure after being taken over by the tumor.

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