According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be approximately 43,140 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the United States this year.
A combination of sorafenib and sulforaphane may be effective in the fight against this disease.
A team led by Dr.
Ingrid Herr examined the effects of sorafenib on cancer cells and mice.
Sorafenib, known for its uses in the treatment of advanced liver and kidney cancer, prevented resistant tumor stem cells from producing new tumors during pancreatic cancer.
Unfortunately, its effect was only temporary, and new cancer stem cells were no longer affected by more applications of it.
However, the researchers soon discovered that sulforaphane, a naturally occurring substance found in broccoli and cauliflower, reinforced the drug's effect on these cells.
"We assume that nutrition may be a suited approach to break therapy resistance of cancer stem cells and thus make tumor treatment more effective," Dr.
Herr stated.
The cancer stem cells are responsible for the uncontrollable growth of the cancer, metastasization of the disease to other organs, and recurrence after surgery.
Unfortunately, these cells are greatly resistant to conventional therapy.
Because pancreatic cancer is so difficult to control with current treatments, doctors encourage patients to participate in clinical trials.
The National Cancer Institute predicts that there will be a total of 36,800 deaths by the cancer in the current year.
The results of this experiment have been published online in Cancer Research.
Pancreatic cancer patients now have another tool in their fight against their disease.