Dr. Jessica Posada, surgical pathology fellow, and her colleagues recently published an article in Clinical Cancer Research (CCR) (impact factor 13.8) which investigated a new combination therapy for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Dr. Posada is a co-first author and her immunofluorescence image of resected pancreatic cancer from a treated patient with LAPC was selected for the journal cover (volume 29, issue 8).
The combination therapy—losartan+FFX+CRT—includes the blood pressure drug losartan plus a chemotherapy cocktail called FOLFIRINOX followed by chemoradiation. The team found that this treatment inhibited immunosuppression, reduced the expression of genes that promote the invasion of tumor cells, and induced changes in the blood levels of various molecules involved in blood vessel health. This study not only reveals how losartan may synergize with emerging cytotoxic regimens, but also provides valuable information for overcoming resistance to immunotherapy—such as immune checkpoint blockers—that can occur in pancreatic cancer.
“Addition of Losartan to FOLFIRINOX and Chemoradiation Reduces Immunosuppression-Associated Genes, Tregs, and FOXP3+ Cancer Cells in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer”.
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