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IMAGE: Kondo and his team found TUG1 overexpression in some pancreatic cancer patients leads to increased release of an enzyme (DPD), which breaks down the chemotherapeutic, 5-FU, into a compound that. view more
Credit: Yutaka Kondo
Nagoya University researchers and colleagues in Japan have uncovered a molecular pathway that enhances chemotherapy resistance in some pancreatic cancer patients. Targeting an RNA to interrupt its activity could improve patient response to therapy and increase their overall survival. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive human malignancies, with an overall median survival that is less than five months, says cancer biologist Yutaka Kondo of Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine. This poor prognosis is partially due to a lack of potent therapeutic strategies against pancreatic cancer, so more effective treatments are urgently needed.