New blood test could help detect pancreatic cancer

Researchers have come up with a blood test, which is found to be helpful in detection of pancreatic cancer in human patients. An Indian-origin scientist is also involved in the study. The scientists differentiated healthy participants and patients suffering from a benign pancreatic disease from patients with early-and late-stage pancreatic cancer; they detected fat called vesicles or exosomes that tumours shed.

According to their research, a protein encoded by the gene glypican-1 (GPC1) present on cancer exosomes could be used when it comes to a potential non-invasive diagnostic and screening tool for detecting early pancreatic cancer, probably at a stage acquiescent to surgical treatment.

According to Raghu Kalluri from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, "GPC1+ crExos were detected in small amounts of serum from about 250 patients with pancreatic cancer with absolute specificity and sensitivity, importantly distinguishing patients with chronic pancreatitis from those with early-and late-stage pancreatic cancer".

Exosomes are small virus-sized particles that cancer cells release. They consist of DNA, RNA and proteins. GPC1-enriched circulating exosomes were isolated and studied from the blood of pancreatic cancer patients, called GPC1+ crExos.

Kalluri said that it was found that levels of GPC1+ crExos were considerably lower in patients after surgical removal of the tumour. It was also found in the study that the possibility of pancreatic cancer in mouse models of pancreatic cancer was detected by GPC1+ crExos when there were no signs of pancreatic disease in mice. The study has been published in the journal Nature.