A natural extract derived from India's neem tree could potentially be used to treat pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic Cancer - All About the Disease, its Diagnosis and Management
Pancreatic cancer often involves its exocrine part. It grows aggressively, and often detected late. Treatment options include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Pancreatic cancer often involves its exocrine part. It grows aggressively, and often detected late. Treatment options include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
‘Nimbolide, a compound found in neem leaves, could potentially be used to treat pancreatic cancer. It can stop pancreatic cancer's growth and metastasis without harming normal, healthy cells.
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"The promise nimbolide has shown is amazing, and the specificity of the treatment towards cancer cells over normal cells is very intriguing," says Rajkumar Lakshmanaswamy, an associate professor in TTUHSC El Paso's Center of Emphasis in Cancer. In the study, Lakshmanaswamy and his lab observed that nimbolide was able to reduce the migration and invasion capabilities of pancreatic cancer cells by 70%; meaning the cancerous cells did not become aggressive and spread. And that's promising, the researchers say. In humans, this migration and invasion - or metastasis - of pancreatic cancer to other regions of the body is the chief cause of mortality.
Nimbolide treatments also induced cancer cell death, causing the size and number of pancreatic cancer cell colonies to drop by 80%. "Nimbolide seems to attack pancreatic cancer from all angles," said Lakshmanaswamy.
Enzyme Linked to Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer Offers Potential Clinical Advances
An enzyme is being discovered by Mayo Clinic researchers which they say is tightly linked to how aggressive pancreatic cancer will be in a patient.
An enzyme is being discovered by Mayo Clinic researchers which they say is tightly linked to how aggressive pancreatic cancer will be in a patient.
Lead author and postdoctoral researcher Ramadevi Subramani, explains, "Many people in India actually eat neem and it doesn't have harmful side effects, which suggests that using nimbolide for pancreatic cancer will not cause adverse effects like chemotherapy and radiation typically do."
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Microfluidic Device Captures Potential Biomarker for Early Pancreatic Cancer
Cancer cells are on the move in the bloodstream in the very early stage of pancreatic cancer. And it can be detected before cancer is diagnosed, claims research by the University of Michigan Health System.
Cancer cells are on the move in the bloodstream in the very early stage of pancreatic cancer. And it can be detected before cancer is diagnosed, claims research by the University of Michigan Health System.
The TTUHSC El Paso team plans to continue researching the anticancer mechanisms behind the plant extract. They'll also study various ways to administer nimbolide to maintain its potency against pancreatic cancer.
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Supportive Tissue in Tumors Actually Hinders Pancreatic Cancer
Researchers have found that fibrous tissue that was suspected of making pancreatic cancer worse could support immune system attack that slows down its progression, but not overcome it
Researchers have found that fibrous tissue that was suspected of making pancreatic cancer worse could support immune system attack that slows down its progression, but not overcome it
