According to the data of the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer ranks among the top three most deadly cancers, and its incidence rate increases by about 3% every year, but the survival rate remains basically unchanged. Pancreas occupies a special position in human body, which makes it difficult to find tumors before metastasis. Therefore, once diagnosed, pancreatic cancer is often advanced, and its drug resistance makes chemotherapy ineffective. A new drug recently developed by scientists can help overcome the problems of diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer and extend the life span of patients by at least 5 years.

For the first time, scientists at the Cedes Sinai Medical Center in California put forward the view that "drug resistance comes from the stellate cells of the pancreas itself, not from tumors". In general, stellate cells help protect the pancreas. However, when they encounter cancer cells, they will accelerate fibrosis and form hard scar tissue. At this time, the "barrier" formed by stellate cells will not only hinder the effect of chemotherapy drugs, but also further stimulate the rapid growth and spread of tumors.

In response to this discovery, researcher Dr. Muadh Kakay and his team spent three years developing a new drug called metavert. The drug can not only offset the drug resistance of tumor, but also improve the effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A series of mouse experiments show that this new drug can increase the survival rate of pancreatic cancer by 50%. At present, the team is developing similar pharmaceutical preparations, which can be used for human testing and bring new hope for human beings to overcome pancreatic cancer.

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