Pancreatic Cancer Cells Continuously Evolve to Evade Treatment, Driven by Genetic Reshaping

Researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center have conducted an analysis of nearly half a million pancreatic cancer cells, revealing how these cells continuously reshape their genetic makeup to evade treatment. The study, published in Nature Genetics, identified specific genetic changes, including increased activity of the MYC gene in aggressive tumor cell populations, that emerge during tumor evolution. Blocking MYC activity in basal tumor cells reverted them to a less aggressive form and made them more susceptible to immune attack, suggesting new therapeutic targets for this highly lethal cancer.