Pancreatic Cancer
Extended Research Project by Katelyn Gelle
Del Norte High School
Pancreatic cancer affects over 495,000 lives universally, and its prevalence and fatality rates have been trending upward since 2001. Despite the extensive list of medications that can be used to treat it, it has the lowest survival rate of all major cancers, with a one-year rate of 20%, a five-year rate of 9%, and a ten-year rate of 5%. Pancreatic cancer is located within the pancreas, an insulin-producing organ in an area deep inside the body that is also found at the intersection of major blood vessels, which makes it difficult to treat with surgery or diagnosed during a physical exam; as such, it is one of the most expensive diseases to treat. Consequently, recent research focuses on combating pancreatic cancer through intervention rather than through preliminary tactics. This blog explores the diagnosis, effects, and possible treatments for pancreatic cancer.
Current Research Goals
To review the diagnosis process of pancreatic cancer and its limitations
Obstacles
Cost
To recognize the mutations and genes associated with pancreatic cancer
Germline
Somatic
Carcinogens
To study the workings and progression of pancreatic cancer
Tumor micro-environments
To understand the therapies and treatments available for pancreatic cancer
Chemotherapy
Radiation Therapy
Targeted Therapy
Immunotherapy
Figure 1: Diagram of the pancreas and the dense numbers of blood vessels surrounding it.
Figure 2: Diagram of the pancreas and its location deep within the body.
My Prior Knowledge
Oncology
Molecular medicine and genomics
Hallmarks of cancer
Clinical trials
Drug discovery and development
Cancer therapy
Pancreatic Cancer
History
Anatomy
These obstacles make pancreatic cancer particularly difficult to diagnose early as well as treat with surgery.
Diagrams provided by Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and Pancreapedia, respectively.
Poster
Poster Pancreatic Cancer Katelyn Gelle ElioAcademy.pdfPaper
Pancreatic Cancer Katelyn Gelle ElioAcademy.pdf