What is Pancreatic Cancer?
Pancreatic Cancer is a cancer that forms in the pancreas and is the third most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States each year. .[2] While lots of research has been done on pancreatic cancer, like most cancers, the cause of it is still unknown. As research has progressed however, many risk factors for the disease have been identified.
Risk Factors
Factors that increase your susceptibility to pancreatic cancer include smoking, family history of chronic pancreatitis, advancing age, male sex, diabetes, obesity, older age, and a high-fat diet among other things. [1] The two most dominant risk factors are smoking and family history. "If you are a first-degree relative of someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, you may have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer."[4] To curtail this familial risk of pancreatic cancer, genetic testing is recommended to see if you have inherited this mutation.
Key Statistics
The average lifetime risk for Pancreatic cancer is 1 in 64 people, however risk factors increase this number.[4]
After diagnosis 24% of people survive year 1[2]
After initial diagnosis 10% of people live for 5 years
The average lifetime risk for Pancreatic cancer is 1 in 64 people, however risk factors increase this number.[4]
After diagnosis 24% of people survive year 1[2]
After initial diagnosis 10% of people live for 5 years
Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer
Early stage pancreatic cancer usually lacks symptoms, making it hard to identify and treat. After progression of the tumor into later stages of pancreatic cancer, symptoms become visible. These symptoms include: Jaundice Weight Loss Light-Colored stools Abdominal pain Fatigue |
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What is AURKB?
AURKB stands for the gene Aurora B Kinase. This gene plays an important role in the regulation of alignment and segregation of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis through association with microtubules.[4] AURKB also plays a crucial role in the regulation of many different genes. It is a highly conserved gene and is found in many species, signifying the important role it plays in the cell. To learn more about this fascinating Gene click here.
How is AURKB connected to cancer?
A new paper published just this year (Jan 2021) by Ruijaun Du et al.[5] looked into the relationship between cancer and the AURORA Kinase Family. They found there to be in almost all cancers an increase in gene expression of AURKB, signifying an apparent relationship between AURKB and cancer. To read this paper and learn more, click on the figure below.
Current cancer research being done with AURKB
Currently there is much research going into looking at this link between AURKB and cancer. One paper by Borisa et al.[6] summarized all the current Aurora kinase inhibitors currently on the market. These inhibitors work by blocking this gene during cellular division in cancer, leading to these cells being unable to divide and so are a treatment that is helpful in stopping cancer. Of course the issue is more complex than that, but researchers have found success combining these Aurora Kinase inhibitors with normal cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat cancer.
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Gap in knowledge
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of a cell that causes the destruction of body tissue. Cancer in the pancreas, is one of the deadliest cancers, with fewer than 10% of people surviving past 5 years. This low survival rate is due to the majority of pancreatic cancer being detected during later stages of cancer development, causing normal cancer treatments to not be very effective and creating the need for new cancer treatments. One area of future treatment looks into cell division of pancreatic cancer cells, specifically genes affecting the cellular division process. One of these genes is AURKB, a gene which controls microtubule movement during cellular division and that also regulates cellular processes surrounding cellular division. However it is unknown as to the role AURKB plays in cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer cells. Determining this will help scientists better understand the process of cell division in pancreatic cancer cells.
Where can I learn more?
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Created by: Nick Puster UW Madison Genetics Major Last updated: 5/2/2021 |
This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate capstone course at UW-Madison
References
[1]Vincent, Audrey et al. “Pancreatic cancer.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 378,9791 (2011): 607-20. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62307-0
[2]Rawla, Prashanth et al. “Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer: Global Trends, Etiology and Risk Factors.” World journal of oncology vol. 10,1 (2019): 10-27. doi:10.14740/wjon1166
[3]Ilic, Milena, and Irena Ilic. “Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer.” World journal of gastroenterology vol. 22,44 (2016): 9694-9705. doi:10.3748/wjg.v22.i44.9694
[4]“Risk Assessment Test.” Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, PanCAN, 26 Oct. 2020, www.pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/about-pancreatic-cancer/risk-factors/risk-assessment-test/. “American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts & Statistics.” American Cancer Society | Cancer Facts & Statistics, cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org_ga=2.184978986.2042703481.1614139023-1190401418.1614139023#!/cancer-site/Pancreas
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2021 Feb 23]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/9212
[5]Du, R., Huang, C., Liu, K. et al. Targeting AURKA in Cancer: molecular mechanisms and opportunities for Cancer therapy. Mol Cancer 20, 15 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-020-01305-3
[6]Borisa AC, Bhatt HG. A comprehensive review on Aurora kinase: Small molecule inhibitors and clinical trial studies. Eur J Med Chem. 2017 Nov 10;140:1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.08.045. Epub 2017 Aug 24. PMID: 28918096.
Figures Created with Biorender.com
Header Background image
https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/advances-in-pancreatic-cancer-treatment.html
[2]Rawla, Prashanth et al. “Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer: Global Trends, Etiology and Risk Factors.” World journal of oncology vol. 10,1 (2019): 10-27. doi:10.14740/wjon1166
[3]Ilic, Milena, and Irena Ilic. “Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer.” World journal of gastroenterology vol. 22,44 (2016): 9694-9705. doi:10.3748/wjg.v22.i44.9694
[4]“Risk Assessment Test.” Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, PanCAN, 26 Oct. 2020, www.pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/about-pancreatic-cancer/risk-factors/risk-assessment-test/. “American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts & Statistics.” American Cancer Society | Cancer Facts & Statistics, cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org_ga=2.184978986.2042703481.1614139023-1190401418.1614139023#!/cancer-site/Pancreas
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2021 Feb 23]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/9212
[5]Du, R., Huang, C., Liu, K. et al. Targeting AURKA in Cancer: molecular mechanisms and opportunities for Cancer therapy. Mol Cancer 20, 15 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-020-01305-3
[6]Borisa AC, Bhatt HG. A comprehensive review on Aurora kinase: Small molecule inhibitors and clinical trial studies. Eur J Med Chem. 2017 Nov 10;140:1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.08.045. Epub 2017 Aug 24. PMID: 28918096.
Figures Created with Biorender.com
Header Background image
https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/advances-in-pancreatic-cancer-treatment.html