Oncologists have long known that a rare variety of pancreatic tumor, known as a mucinous cyst of the pancreas, occurs especially in young women. What’s more, this has certain similarities with another that affects the ovaries, something that has attracted the attention of experts for decades, since the pancreas is not precisely among the organs most exposed to sex hormones.
Now, a team of researchers from Brigham and Women’s University in Boston, in the USA, the University of Geneva and University Hospitals in this same city, in Switzerland, has shed some light on this matter. Thus, in a study published in the Journal of Pathology , they point out that both tumors appear to be related to germ stem cells. These develop in the gonadal tissues of embryos and, over time, give rise to gametes – sperm and oocytes – but also to other types of cells.
In the trial, coordinated by gynecologist Kevin M. Elias, from the aforementioned US institution, the scientists indicate that the aforementioned cells migrate to the reproductive organs when they have not yet differentiated. However, some go astray and end up stopping in other organs, which can promote the development of a tumor up to 30 years later.
Rare, but potentially lethal
Mucinous tumors of the pancreas and ovary represent only 3% of the cancers that affect these tissues. They take the form of a large cyst and are usually developed by women between 30 and 40 years old, according to the University of Geneva in a statement. They are usually treated with surgery and, if done in time, the cyst can be completely removed. Even so, in about 15% of cases, it ruptures before the intervention takes place, spreading the cancer cells through the membrane that covers the inside of the abdominal cavity. This increases the chances of a highly chemotherapy-resistant metastasis. If this occurs, the patient usually dies within a year.
The experts who have signed this work acknowledge that it was quite a surprise to discover that these varieties of ovarian and pancreatic cancer were linked, since, in principle, these organs do not have a direct relationship with each other. However, after analyzing and comparing a large amount of genomic data, they observed that the tumors studied that affect both present identical genetic alterations. “We found the same mutations, the same type of affected – young women, almost always smokers – and, the most disconcerting thing: ovarian tissue in the cysts of the pancreas”, explains Elias.
Although this initiative does not imply a change in current treatments, this obstetrician and his collaborators hope that, in the future, it will allow new strategies to combat this type of ailment.
Referencia: Primordial germ cells as a potential shared cell of origin for mucinous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas and mucinous ovarian tumors.Kevin M. Elias et al.Journal of Pathology (2018). DOI: doi.org/10.1002/path.5161
