Cancer is one of the most deadly and complex conditions on the planet, and it can take many shapes and sizes. Even when it’s isolated to one organ, the condition can act differently from patient to patient. In an effort to get a better understanding of how pancreatic cancer affects individuals, researchers took a hard look condition. They found that pancreatic cancer is actually four separate diseases, and this new information may pave the way for a more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the more deadly types of cancers across the globe. Only about 20 percent of adults survive more than a year after being diagnosed, fewer than 5 percent survive after five years, and less than 1 percent are alive 10 years after diagnosis. Researchers hope the findings can lead to new and improved treatment options, as treatment effectiveness is somewhat low.

Pancreatic Cancer Study

For their study, researchers examined 456 pancreatic tumors and discovered the condition could actually be classified into one of four sub-types. The scientists didn’t go into extreme detail as to how they identified the four sub-classifications, but they said they could effectively break down pancreatic cancer into one of the following four sub-groups:

• Squamous
• Pancreatic progenitor
• Immunogenic
• ADEX

“This study demonstrates that pancreatic cancer is better considered as four separate diseases, with different survival rates, treatments and underlying genetics,” said Professor Sean Grimmond, who led the study. “Knowing which sub-type a patient has would allow a doctor to provide a more accurate prognosis and treatment recommendations.

Leanne Reynolds, head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said the results were incredibly exciting, and that the sub-classifications will help improve our understanding of pancreatic cancer to ensure “the right patients can be given the right treatment at the right time.”

“This is crucial for people with pancreatic cancer, because the disease is difficult to diagnose, is often diagnosed terribly late, and just 4 percent of people live for five years or more after the diagnosis.”

Researchers hope the medical community can build on these findings to help patients with different types of pancreatic get treatment tailored to their specific condition, which will hopefully lead to increases in the 1-, 5- and 10-year survival rates.