News briefs

New hope for pancreatic cancer patients

Researchers from the Olivia Newton‐John Cancer Research Institute and the La Trobe University School of Cancer Medicine have found a novel drug target to potentially improve the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with a low 5‐year survival rate and is associated with poor response to therapy. Elevated expression of the myeloid‐specific haematopoietic cell kinase (HCK) is observed in PDAC and correlates with reduced patient survival. To determine whether aberrant HCK signaling in myeloid cells is involved in PDAC growth and metastasis, the researchers established orthotopic and intrasplenic PDAC tumors in wild‐type and HCK knockout mice. Genetic ablation of HCK impaired PDAC growth and metastasis by inducing an immune‐stimulatory endotype in myeloid cells, which in turn reduced the desmoplastic microenvironment and enhanced cytotoxic effector cell infiltration. Consequently, genetic ablation or therapeutic inhibition of HCK minimised metastatic spread, enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy, and overcame resistance to anti‐PD1, anti‐CTLA4, and stimulatory anti‐CD40 immunotherapy. The researchers argued their results provided a strong rationale for HCK to be developed as a therapeutic target to improve the response of PDAC to chemo‐ and immunotherapy. The study was published in Cell Reports. “This is important because most pancreatic cancer patients do not respond to existing anti‐cancer drugs, and the survival rate of pancreatic cancer has not improved over the past few decades. We hope to eventually translate these findings into the clinic and improve survival outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients,” lead author Dr Ashleigh Poh said.

https://www.cell.com/cell‐reports/fulltext/S2211‐1247(22)01329‐8

Evaluating the worth of early ADHD diagnosis

Research from the University of Sydney and Bond University examining quality of life in relation to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses suggests a diagnosis in childhood is currently not associated with improved quality of life for Australian teens. The researchers called for a cautious approach to diagnosis by clinicians, particularly for children with mild or borderline hyperactive and inattentive behaviours. The researchers said they were pleased public discussion and new guidelines are creating increased dialogue about ADHD, but felt more research was needed to inform a robust evidence base for diagnosis. The study, which followed 746 children from ages 6–7years to 14–15years from 2006 to 2018, is published in JAMA Network Open. The study followed the children from diagnosis until they were teenagers and self‐reported their perceptions at 14 or 15years of age. The researchers found similar quality of life overall, health, happiness and peer trust. However, those with an ADHD diagnosis reported worse sense of school membership, academic self‐concept and self‐efficacy, more negative social behaviours, and were twice as likely to self‐harm. The researchers suggested that as the study shows youths could potentially be harmed by diagnosis, and interventions to support them may not yet be achieving the desired effects, a cautious clinical approach to ADHD diagnosis in children and adolescents is recommended. In particular, the researchers call for increased and targeted support — within and beyond the medical system — for girls, and for children with high levels of hyperactive and inattentive behaviours, irrespective of whether they are diagnosed.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797259