One of the doctors behind the Sandler-Kenner Foundation talks about the potential benefits.

Irving, TX — Discovering that a medication that is approved for treating one health condition helps with another completely different concern is not entirely uncommon. One such recent finding may someday soon offer hope to people fighting pancreatic cancer. Researchers have learned that certain drugs used to treat schizophrenia may also have a positive impact on pancreatic cancer cell growth.

The prescription medications that are showing promise in the laboratory are pimozide and aloperidol. Mice treated with haloperidol in particular were found to have smaller pancreatic cancer tumors and displayed fewer signs of the disease’s spread than those that were not treated with the drug.

“While still a topic under very much study, the findings are very encouraging,” says Dr. Gregory Echt, one of the physicians behind the Sandler-Kenner Foundation and the founder and lead surgeon at Choice Cancer Care. “The drugs appear to inhibit the growth of pancreatic cancer, which is a promising step in the right direction for a disease that is known to be especially difficult to treat.”

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of this disease. Presenting at first with very few, if any, symptoms, this cancer often goes undetected until its more advanced stages. Considering that fact, the survival rate at present is less than 10 percent at the five-year mark. An estimated 53,000 Americans are diagnosed with this form of cancer annually. About 41,000 die from pancreatic cancer.

“Being able to slow growth and stop this cancer’s spread may help push the statistics in a more positive direction,” says Dr. Echt. “This could provide a boost needed to make treatments more successful while offering hope for improved outcomes.”

How soon the drugs might be made available for more widespread use in pancreatic cancer remains a topic under study. The findings must first be vetted through additional research.

To find out more about pancreatic cancer and steps that are being taken to fight it, visit the Sandler-Kenner Foundation online. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to helping advance research that may lead to a cure for pancreatic cancer.

About The Sandler-Kenner Foundation
The Sandler-Kenner Foundation, established in 2007 as the Las Colinas Cancer Center Foundation, was renamed in early 2011 in the memory of Michael Sandler and Peter Kenner, both of whom passed away from pancreatic cancer, a lethal disease that is difficult to diagnose until it has reached an advanced stage.