On September 17, at the Ramón Areces Foundation headquarters, Mariano Barbacid and Carmen Guerra, researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), successfully organized the Symposium “Pancreatic Cancer: Challenges and Future Prospects”.
The meeting analyzed advances in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a cancer with a survival rate of less than 5% at five years, due to late diagnosis and the lack of effective therapies.
The meeting was an opportunity to discuss current major challenges in basic, translational and clinical research; the molecular and cellular origin and evolution of these tumors; the search for new therapies in experimental models; and trials with a new generation of drugs, especially inhibitors of the KRAS oncogene.
Several international experts in the field gathered to address crucial issues in this pathology, of which we highlight:
- Prevention and early detection
– Francisco X. Real highlighted the need for preventive strategies for pancreatic cancer and presented a possible pharmacological pathway to reduce the risk of developing it.
– Nuria Malats presented the molecular relationship between pancreatic cancer, diabetes and obesity.
– Vasiliki Liaki showed positive results of combination therapies in animal models that could lead to future clinical trials.
- New drugs and immunotherapy
– Teresa Macarulla (VHIO) spoke about new therapeutic strategies to improve survival in the next decade.
– Ignacio Garrido-Laguna (University of Utah) presented advances with KRAS oncogene inhibitors and their combination with immunotherapy.
– Peter Bailey (Botton-Champalimaud Center, Lisbon) presented the mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy and their role in the molecular classification of tumor subtypes (Bailey subtypes).
The aim was to provide an updated view of progress in the study and treatment of pancreatic cancer and to foster international collaborations. For more information about the congress, you can consult the Abstracts book: ABSTRACT BOOK 17 sept.
Or watch the presentations in the following videos of the day: Video 1 , Video 2
