A Promising Approach In The Prevention And Treatment Of Pancreatic Cancer
This article was published on September 21, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. The research team from Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated First People's Hospital,
In this study authors revealed the efficacy of erlotinib, as a single agent, on pancreatic cancer cells growth in vitro, and in vivo study using a nude mice xenograft model and the mechanisms involved were also explored. Erlotinib repressed BxPC-3 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, triggered G1 arrest and induced cell apoptosis,and suppressed capillary formation of endothelium in vitro. In vivo, erlotinib treated mice demonstrated a reduced tumor volume and weight as compared with control. The relationship between EGFR and angiogenesis has also been investigated using tube formation assay in vitro and immunohistochemical analysis of tumor-associated blood vessels in vivo. These findings provide evidence for the inhibitive activity of erlotinib in pancreatic cancer cells. Inhibition of EGFR may be a promising adjuvant in chemotherapeutic strategy in the treatment of the dismal disease. The results also demonstrate that EGFR signaling pathway is an important target in pancreatic cancer.
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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