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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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