Pancreatic cancer is predicted to become the second deadliest cancer by 2020, but doctors from the University of Arizona Cancer Center are encouraged by a new study offering targeted treatment for the disease.
It’s called PARP, an abbreviation for an enzyme that repairs the DNA of cells as they replicate.
Inhibiting that enzyme with targeted treatment of cancer cells instead of using a wrecking ball approach like chemotherapy is the novel focus of Dr. Rachna Shroff, chief of GI medical oncology at the UA Cancer Center.
“So, in theory, you’re not affecting every cell in your body.” Shroff said. “You’re specifically honing in on the areas that are prone to errors in DNA replication and that’s what PARP inhibitors are focusing on.”
She added that PARP inhibitors are promising as patients currently suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer have very poor survival rates.
