Dec 5

Pancreatic Cancer and Blood Vessels

This was written by pre-medical student Jorge Gonzalez with the intention of encouraging readers to take better care of oneself. The method of encouragement being used is Aristotle’s three pillars of rhetoric without the intention of withholding critical information or supplying false information. Instead, this method utilizes emotions to engage the audience, logic to make a claim, and credibility to support this claim.

Studies done at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston University, and the University of Pennsylvania have investigated the fatality of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is an especially dangerous cancer leaving an “average of only 9% of patients [alive] five years after diagnosis.”

This low survival rate has been linked to its interaction with nearby blood vessels. The research shows that early cancer cells enter the bloodstream, allowing it to spread faster. Long after it is discovered, the cancer cells have lined the inner endothelial of the surrounding blood vessels and destroyed them. What makes this particularly dangerous is lack of blood traveling through the pancreatic tumor. This prevents access to many useful drugs. Duc-Huy Nyugen, PhD, reveals that “[this] study really bring to light the importance of ‘rescuing’ the vasculature prior to treating pancreatic cancer.”

Research has shown possible remedies including a TGF-? inhibitor increasing the activity of blood vessels, ALK7 deletion slowing the growth of the tumor, and an Activin inhibitor lowering the rate of endothelial destruction.

Our practice has long focused on the importance of the vascular system in the body. Our unique practice examines the elasticity of the arterial wall as part of the typical physical check up. This helps us examine your cardiovascular health, and reach accurate, intuitive conclusions about blood flow in the body. Part of maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, is a good diet and daily exercise. We stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle in order to maintain the elasticity of the arterial wall, allowing for better blood flow. Not only is blood flow important for the transport of drugs, but also for the prevention of other diseases.

Our practice focuses on proactive care, using preventative care for an improved quality of life. We do this by beginning the evaluation process as soon as someone becomes a patient.

Work Cited:
Scienmag. “Exposing How Pancreatic Cancer Does Its Dirty Work.” Scienmag, 29 Aug. 2019, https://scienmag.com/exposing-how-pancreatic-cancer-does-its-dirty-work/.

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