Pancreatic cancer is fueled by connections to the nervous system. This is reported by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM) in their current publication in Nature. The team discovered that the tumor specifically reprograms the neurons for its own benefit. In mice, blocking nerve function inhibited cancer growth and increased the sensitivity of tumor cells to certain chemotherapies and immunotherapies.
For several years, scientists have been discovering interactions with the nervous system in almost all types of cancer studied, interactions that in many cases promote tumor growth and survival. This also applies to pancreatic cancer, which is interwoven with a dense network of nerves. However,…