14 184 new cases of pancreatic cancer were detected in France in 2018, with 51% in men, according to the National Cancer Institute. This cancer is one of the deadliest because, in the same year, there were 11,400 deaths according to the 2022 edition of the Panorama of cancers in France, almost as many new cases as deaths.
Replacing sugar with another molecule
A new study published in the journal Nature may provide a new clue to explain the resistance of this disease. Researchers have observed that cancer cells are able to adapt when they can no longer feed on glucose (sugar): they replace it with another molecule called uridine. They therefore have an adaptive capacity that can explain their resistance.
“The ability of cancer to switch to alternative nutrients has fascinated me for a long time,” explains Zeribe Nwosu, one of the authors of this study, in a press release. “Blocking this compensatory behavior could help us develop new treatments and that’s what we hope with this study.”
Better understanding and treating pancreatic cancer
For now, researchers have not been able to determine precisely where uridine comes from in the tumor microenvironment, nor how cancer cells have access to it. “It is found in the bloodstream, but we do not know specifically where it comes from,” says Costas Lyssiotis. It probably comes from several places, and so far, we have not been able to determine a single source.”
When cancer cells no longer have enough nutrients in their environment, for example due to competition with other cells, they adapt and use uridine. “Cancer cells seem to detect the concentrations of glucose and uridine in the local environment to better adapt,” explains Matt Ward, another author of this study.
Pancreatic cancer remains asymptomatic for a long time, and in 80% to 90% of cases, it is diagnosed at a late stage, according to the Vidal website, which limits the chances of successful treatment. But this research offers hope: “There is potential for better understanding and treating pancreatic cancer, with new drug targets and therapeutic approaches,” concludes Anguraj Sadanandam, author of the study.
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