Expanding Medical Knowledge, Creating New Protocols

"The pancreas was considered a sterile organ until a couple [of] years ago."
"While past studies from our group have shown that bacteria travel from the gut to the pancreas, our new study is the first to confirm that fungi too make that trip, and that related fungal population changes promote tumor inception and growth."
Dr.George Miller, oncologist, New York University School of Medicine

"We have long known that Malassezia fungi -- generally found on the skin and scalp -- are responsible for dandruff and some forms of eczema, but recent studies have also linked them to skin and colorectal cancer."
"Our new findings add evidence that Malassezia is abundant in pancreatic tumors as well."
Deepak Saxena, PhD, professor, Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, NYU College of Dentistry

"Moving forward, one goal for our team is to determine which species are most relevant to cancer, as doing so could guide future attempts to slow tumor growth with targeted antifungal medications, and to avert side effects."
Smruti Pushalkar, PhD, research scientist, NYU College of Dentistry

Some gut fungi may promote the development of pancreatic cancer, a new study finds.

In the United States this year alone, close to 57,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer -- their outcome poor, as three-quarters of those diagnosed die within a year of diagnosis leaving only about one in ten to live longer than five years.  "This (new study) is an enormous opportunity for intervention and prevention, which is something we don't really have for pancreatic cancer", commented cancer researcher Dr.Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York.

The new study she refers to, its results published in the journal Nature early this month, made the discovery that fungi is able to infiltrate deep into the pancreas, an internal bodily organ one of whose functions is to secrete digestive enzymes into the small intestine. The fungi was found to proliferate 3,000-fold compared with healthy tissue, in mice and human patients with pancreatic cancer. One particular fungus was recognized as responsible for inciting pancreatic tumours to grow.

This discovery surprised the researchers by their very presence and tremendous increase in numbers found in disease, though fungi have not been unknown to be present, simply not so deeply ingrained.
Research had revealed that some microorganisms like bacteria were able to infiltrate past a muscle separating the pancreas from the rest of the gut; the feeling was that fungi could possibly colonize the pancreas in the same manner.

Laboratory mice were fed a species of brewer's yeast colour-identified with a green fluorescent protein, by Dr. Miller and his study team. It became clear that the yeast had moved to the pancreas -- thanks to the revelation of the marker -- from the digestive tract in a matter of mere minutes. A genus of Basidiomycota called Malassezia, found on the skin and scalp of animals and humans, able to cause skin irritation and dandruff, was found to be most abundant.

 Malassezia, found on human skin surprised scientists. Science Source

The discovery was that Malassezia was present in extremely high numbers in samples from pancreatic cancer patients, not just abundant in mice that grew pancreatic tumours. When an antifungal drug was administered to the fungi in mice, it served to eradicate the fungi to keep tumours from developing. Tumours began growing once more when the treated mice once again received the yeast, serving as an indicator that the fungal cells were responsible for driving the growth of the tumours.

As vital as the genetic factors driving tumour growth, increasing scientific consensus has arisen that the factors in a tumour's "microenvironment" are just as important. Support or prevention of cancer growth relies on surrounding healthy tissue, immune cells, collagen and other fibres that hold the tumour. Fungal population in the pancreas may now be recognized as a valid biomarker for just who may be at risk for developing cancer, along with recognizing potential targets for future treatments.