Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly diseases. It’s
difficult to diagnose, so it’s often not found till it’s quite
advanced. It also spreads quickly, and is notoriously resistant
to many of the chemotherapy and radiation treatments we
currently use. Only about 3 percent of people with pancreatic
cancer live more than 5 years after diagnosis. Despite the
relatively small number of people who are diagnosed, it’s still
the fourth most common cancer killer. Why is it so challenging
to treat? We don’t completely understand the molecular basis of
pancreatic cancer, but research within my laboratory at the
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center is focused on
trying to understand this terrible disease. In 2007, my team was
the first to identify a small group of cells, called cancer stem
cells, in tumors from patients with pancreatic cancer. We
believe these stem cells are the key to finding an effective
treatment and possibly someday a cure for pancreatic cancer.
Cancer stem cells are the small num