Pancreatic Cancer's Immune Evasion Points to Treatment Targets

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School have identified why pancreatic cancer is difficult for the immune system to recognize and attack, paving the way for a new approach to improve immunotherapy. The findings were published in Science Immunology.

The study found that some cancer cells learn how to hide from the immune system by shutting down a process that normally allows immune cells to detect them. Once hidden, these cancer cells are more likely to spread to other parts of the body.

Researchers also discovered that certain immune cells, known as regulatory T cells, prevent other helpful T cells from eliminating these hidden cancer cells. 

By combining two types of treatment strategies, one that restores the cancer cells' visibility to the immune system and another type of immunotherapy to activate CD4 helper T cells, the researchers were able to improve the immune response and reduce the cancer’s ability to spread in preclinical models. 

“By following the data, this study has transformed how we think about requirements for an effective immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer,” said Ingunn Stromnes, PhD, associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the principal investigator and corresponding author of the study. 

The findings suggest that CD4 helper T cells play a much larger role in fighting pancreatic cancer than previously understood and could become an important strategy in strengthening future immunotherapies. 

The next steps are to figure out exactly how CD4 T cells coordinate the immune response and how we can harness them to make immunotherapies more effective. Ultimately, the research team’s goal is to translate these findings into new treatments that give patients with pancreatic cancer better options and better outcomes.