Artificial intelligence and Machine learning
Another way is to invest in artificial intelligence and the potential it offers in extracting useful information. “Our goal is to develop a pre-operative prediction capacity superior to that in use up to now, in order to be able to evaluate, for the individual patient, the probability of the appearance of complications and their severity, and to implement measures to limit them – explains Giovanni Capretti, researcher and general surgeon specialized in pancreatic-duodenal pathology of the Humanitas Clinical Institute – The use of AI will allow in the future to optimize the path of diagnosis and treatment of the individual patient which could in some cases, for example, do not provide for surgery but only radio or chemotherapy treatments ».
Training and research
In terms of training, the Pancreas team of the Pederzoli Hospital in Peschiera del Garda organizes a specific course, now in its seventh edition, to assist in surgery live and for some years now in 3D with open technique and minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic techniques .
In Palermo, on the other hand, Upmc (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), one of the leading academic health groups in the United States, and the Ismett center, an excellence center for transplants and highly specialized therapies, have set up the first Pancreatic Unit in Sicily. The multidisciplinary team, coordinated by Luca Barresi, head physician and regional president of the hospital gastroenterologists association, aims to coordinate the activity of many professionals with the aim of treating patients according to the highest quality standards and training young specialized professionals in pancreatic cancer.
«Having created the first Pancreatic Unit in Sicily represents an important step for the entire scientific network of the Mediterranean – commented Barresi – Our goal is to create a team with high and transversal skills, which is able to encourage other realities in the sector to engage in research in an area where there is still much to discover
Diagnosis and personalized medicine
The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often late, since the tumor does not give symptoms, and in many patients the tumor resists chemotherapy, probably also due to a tumor cell subpopulation with stem characteristics: these cells are able to regenerate the tumor himself and to adapt to changes in the surrounding environment, such as the presence of drugs or the scarcity of vital resources. The identification of new biomarkers and the use of more effective and specific treatments are therefore a priority for the most effective treatment of this disease.
The research group of the “Adriano Buzzati Traverso” Institute of Genetics and Biophysics of the National Research Council (Cnr-Igb) of Naples, coordinated by Enza Lonardo, recently conducted a study whose results were published in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research. The data obtained led to the identification of a subpopulation of highly metastatic cancer stem cells characterized by the expression of the LAMC2 protein. “The presence of this protein favors the migration of tumor cells into secondary organs and increases their stem potential, making them highly resistant to chemotherapy treatments and favoring the onset of metastases, particularly in the liver,” explains Lonardo.