New research has provided insight into the complexity of underlying mutations responsible for pancreatic cancers.
By sequencing the genomes of 100 pancreatic tumours and comparing them to normal tissue, researchers were able to determine the genetic changes that lead to this cancer.
Over 2,000 mutated genes were found in total, ranging from the KRAS gene, which was mutated in about 90% of samples, to hundreds of gene mutations that were only present in 1% to 2% of tumours.
This research demonstrates that pancreatic cancer is not a homogeneous disease and may inform future cancer treatment that looks at individual genetic diagnoses.
Read more at The University of Queensland