Developing pancreatic cancer research across Europe
The PCE Board members, in particular Dr Nuria Malats, are glad to announce the launch of the PCE short-term scientific stay award (ECI)!
The grant will allow Early Career Investigators to go to an institution or laboratory in another European country (from the EU) to foster international collaboration, learn new techniques and access technology unavailable in their own countries.
The applications for this grant are now opened until 31 May 2019. Please send your application to eci@pancreaticcancereurope.eu
The result of the grant will be unveiled during European Pancreas Club Congress in Bergen in June 2019. Do not hesitate to write directly to the Secretariat for any further information regarding the grant (contact@pancreaticcancereurope.eu).
The Research Work Stream had been created following the will to contribute to the debate on what changes are needed to improve research on this cancer, after the General assembly meeting. The Research Work Stream promotes policies & research programmes that can advance medical science on pancreatic cancer.
The main goal of the Work Stream is to bring together researchers, clinicians, private domain, patients, and policy makers to identify/discuss on priorities in Pancreatic cancer research. We aim also to make EU institutions aware and committed to the issues relating to pancreatic cancer.
On Wednesday 12th April 2017, EUPancreas (COST Action) and Pancreatic Cancer Europe gathered key pancreatic cancer research experts, clinicians, private domain representatives, health policy makers, and patient advocates during a meeting in Brussels.
This very first “Multistakeholder Brainstorming meeting” was organised around the belief that researchers, clinicians, patient representatives, pharma and biotech companies, policy makers, European institutions, in a joint collaboration, have a fundamental role to play in pancreatic cancer research.
Following an initiative from our Board Member, Dr. Nuria Malats, the exchanges aimed to propose concrete solutions in favour of research on pancreatic cancer in Europe. Indeed, we think it is time for EU institutions, Members of the European Parliament and national ministries to trigger real change in research, to further improve patient outcomes and survival rates.
The result of the exchanges are precise priorities for research on pancreatic cancer, detailed in the meeting report, that will be sent to European policy makers.
Please find here the meeting report.
- EUPancreas CORE Questionnaire (PDF – 409 KB)
- EUPancreas CORE Questionnaire GUIDELINES
(PDF – 75 KB) - EUPancreas Optional Questionnaire – Smoking (PDF – 413 KB)
- EUPancreas Optional Questionnaire – Beverages (PDF – 373 KB)
- EUPancreas Optional Questionnaire – Medical History
(PDF – 480 KB) - EUPancreas Optional Questionnaire – Work exposure (PDF – 374 KB)
- EUPancreas Optional Questionnaire – Anthropometry and Physical Activity (PDF – 426 KB)
- EUPancreas SOP (PDF – 190 KB)
- EUPancreas Consent Form (PDF – 230 KB)
Pathology of the exocrine pancreas – of mice and men
- Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis (PDF – 3.4 MB)
- Pancreatitis of unknown aetiology (PDF – 7.7 MB)
- Molecular genetics of PDAC (PDF – 2.7 MB)
- IPMN and other intraductal tumors (PDF – 3 MB)
- Precursor lesions in humans and mouse models (PDF – 8.3 MB)
- Mouse models of neuroendcrine tumors (PDF – 1.5 MB)
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) and European Pancreas Center (EPZ) biobanks in Heidelberg
- Presentation (PDF – 2.2 MB)
Interactions in Complex Disease Analysis
- Lecture Practical considerations in genome-wide interaction studies (PDF – 3.1 MB)
- Lecture on epistatic interactions (PDF – 718 KB)
- Lecture on gene-gene and gene-environment interactions (PDF – 326 KB)
- Lecture on machine learning (PDF – 3.7 MB)
Access to Personalised Medicine for PDAC-patients
- Access to Personalised Medicine for PDAC patients (PDF – 1.2 MB)
EUPancreas in the 19TH European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) – 30 September 2016 – Gastein
- EU Action on Pancreatic Cancer (PDF – 130 KB)
- EUPancreas webcast portal (Video stream – 1:54:29)
Software and databases for pancreatic cancer research
- GLOBOCAN 2012: Estimated Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide in 2012
- Biobanking FAQs developed by the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC)
- Tubafrost
- TNM Classification of malignant tumours
- IARC TP53 database
- International Cancer Genome Projects
- COSMIC cancer database
- The Cancer Genome Atlas
- Pancreatic Cancer Database
- EU Clinical Trials Register
- ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines: Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Publications and Books
- Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of the Digestive System.
- Featured Journal Issue: Molecular Carcinonesis 2012. “Epidemiological and Etiological Mechanisms in Pancreatic Cancer”
- Kristel Van Steenand Núria Malats, on behalf of the COST Action BM1204 participants. Perspectives on Data Integration in Human Complex Disease Analysi. In: Big data analytics in Bioinformatics and Healthcare. Pages: 284-322.
- MD Anderson Solid Tumor Oncology Series: Pancreatic Cancer
Dr. Núria Malats
Dr. Núria Malats is currently the head of the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain. She has a broad expertise in these fields of research by focusing mainly on bladder and pancreas cancer. She coordinates several large national and international studies integrating different levels of information, including omics data, in both disease development and progression. She has over 250 publications and is external reviewer of national and international funding agencies and first rank scientific journals. Dr. Malats chaired the EUPancreas COST Action (BM1204), is a board member of the International Pancreatic Cancer Case Control Consortium (PanC4), and the chair of the Research Work Stream of Pancreatic Cancer Europe (PCE) multistakeholder platform.
Related Projects and Activities
The importance of pancreatic cancer’s early detection
Pancreatic cancer is not one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers, but it is one of the most lethal due to its early local extension and metastatic behaviour. Some of the reasons for this high fatality rate are the aggressiveness of the disease, its late diagnosis, especially since symptoms are unspecific and appear rather late, and the available limited therapeutic options.
PancreOS – Pancreatic cancer overall survival registry in Europe, 2015
In 2015, the Spanish Cooperative Group TTD – Tratamiento de los Tumores Digestivos (Digestive Tract Tumors Treatment) started to execute a pilot registry called PancreOS, aiming at collecting a comprehensive set of prospective data from pancreatic cancer patients at any stage of the disease. The pilot project led in Spain has been a good example of what can be done at EU level for pancreatic cancer registries. PCE endorsed the initiative and continues to expand it to more countries all across Europe.
PancreOS – Pancreatic cancer overall survival registry in Europe, 2021
Pancreatic cancer is the only cancer with mortality on the rise in both sexes. The late diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is notably due to the lack of identified biomarkers, genes or imaging modalities. Improved survival rates depend on improved knowledge of the disease, increasing the ability to diagnose it earlier. If advances in pancreatic cancer research are to be made and the commitments of Member States to effective cancer control fulfilled, then registries on pancreatic cancer are a prerequisite.