Pancreas betrayed by 'double agent'

Science | Health - Jonathan Wood | 27 May 11. Stellate cells, a type of cell in the pancreas which normally helps the body respond to damage or disease of the pancreas, can act as a double agent when it comes to cancer. These mysterious cells become 'partners in crime' with pancreatic cancer cells, Oxford University researchers have shown, stimulating growth of the cancer cells and protecting them against radiotherapy. The research, led by Professor Thomas Brunner at the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology , suggests that developing drugs to remove specific communication lines between the pancreatic cancer cells and the stellate cells could improve patients' response to radiotherapy in the future. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are told that they may have less than 1 year to live. Part of the reason is that by the time someone is diagnosed, the cancer is often quite advanced. Cancer Research UK figures show that around 20 in every 100 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer live for 1 year or more, and that only 5 out of every 100 people live for more than 5 years.