Pancreatic cancer biomarker identified

No reliable method for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer has been developed. Pancreatic cancer, or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), is amongst the top cause of cancer deaths. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center conducted a study to determine biomarkers for early detection of PDAC. Researchers observed that a type of tyrosine kinase, called PEAK1, is turned on at the early stage of pancreatic cancer and increases people with  in PDAC. Its catalytic activity is significant in PDAC cell migration and proliferation, thus, making it a biomarker and a target for pancreatic cancer therapy. Results showed that stopping PEAK1 would result to failure of cancer cells to metastasize, inhibiting tumor growth.