Pancreatic Cancer Has a Wall Around It. That is why…

Pancreatic Cancer Has a Wall Around It. That is why chemotherapy keeps failing. Not because the drugs are weak. Because they cannot get through. Pancreatic tumours are surrounded by a dense mesh of fibrosis, produced by activated fibroblasts called stellate cells. This physical barrier blocks chemotherapy from reaching cancer cells and creates an immunosuppressive environment that prevents T cells from attacking the tumour. It is like trying to fight a war through a concrete wall. A new clinical trial just found a surprisingly simple way to break it down. Vitamin D. Not exactly vitamin D — but paricalcitol, an FDA approved vitamin D receptor agonist already used in clinical practice. Here is the science: Pancreatic stellate cells highly express the vitamin D receptor. When that receptor is activated, fibroblasts shift out of their activated state. The fibrotic wall starts to break