A new study suggests that pancreatic cancer may start preparing to “hide” from the immune system long before the disease becomes full-blown cancer. Researchers found that very early, precancerous cells in the pancreas don’t spread randomly, they gather into specific clusters and create small “neighborhoods” inside the tissue. These early cell groups also seem to communicate directly with nearby immune cells in ways that may weaken the body’s ability to fight them. Using advanced tools that characterize cells at the molecular level in tissue section of the pancreas, the team discovered that immune-suppressing signals appear at these early stages, meaning the cancer may begin escaping immune detection much sooner than previously assumed. The findings could help scientists develop better ways to spot pancreatic cancer earlier.

A new Kaiser Permanente study found that women with metastatic breast cancer who received polytherapy for hypertension experienced significantly lower mortality than those treated with a single medication.