Pancreatic Cancer

The lab of Kathy DelGiorno seeks to understand changes in the pancreas in response to injury and disease. In a recent project led by graduate student Leah Caplan, the lab investigated the formation of enteroendocrine cells throughout pancreatic tumor development. Read More

Research from scientists at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that cells in the pancreas form new cell types to mitigate injury but are then susceptible to cancerous mutations. Read More

Inflammation synergizes with a cell’s intrinsic genetic program to promote the development of pancreatic cancer. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a biomarker that could be used to predict pancreatic cancer risk. Read More

Elevated levels of the factor G-CSF appear to promote the development of aggressive pancreatic cancer, suggesting a new therapeutic approach for this devastating disease. Read More

Metastatic pancreatic cancer — cancer that has spread from the pancreas to other tissues and is responsible for most patient deaths — changes its metabolism and is “reprogrammed” for optimal malignancy, according to new findings reported Jan. 16 in Nature Genetics. Read More

A multicenter study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) investigators found that pancreatic cancer patients who underwent surgery and received chemotherapy lived longer and had fewer cancer recurrences in other parts of the body than patients who also received chemoradiation therapy. Read More

The Lustgarten Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million Research Investigator Grant to Stephen Fesik, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Chemistry, for research designed to discover new drugs for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Read More

Beyond genetics — that’s the call Oliver McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., heard during the year between college and medical school he spent in a lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Read More

Vanderbilt and University of California investigators have discovered the “cell of origin” for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a finding that could lead to early detection methods and new treatments. Read More

Patients with pancreatic diseases can now access a team of multi-disciplinary specialists with one phone call to the new Vanderbilt Pancreas Center. Read More

(Image courtesy of Alan LeQuire) Nashville’s Musica statue will be bathed in purple light during the Paint Nashville Purple event for pancreatic cancer awareness at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the roundabout on Demonbreun Street. Linda’s Hope, a local nonprofit organization for pancreatic cancer awareness and… Read More