Pancreatic cancer survival linked to four genes: Study

Four main genes that can predict the survival level of a patient with pancreatic cancer have been identified by scientists.

Researchers from the University of Rochester in the US conducted the study on 356 patients who all had pancreatic adenocarcinoma that could be surgically removed.

Following the removal of the tumours in all cases, researchers extracted DNA from the cancerous tissue and nearby normal tissue, and conducted next-generation DNA sequencing on the specimens.

The activity of the KRAS, CDKN2A, SMAD4, and TP53 genes was analysed and findings revealed that patients who had three or four of the altered genes had worse disease-free survival (the time between surgery and when cancer returns), and overall survival (from surgery to death), compared to patients with a single or two altered genes.

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Aram Hezel from the University of Rochester said, "The research helps us to understand how the molecular features of pancreatic cancer impact prognosis on an individual level and gives us more facts to guide patients, and importantly, to design future research studies".

The study was published in Jama Oncology.

(With PTI inputs)