Identification of microRNAs in Cachexia in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer
This study attempts to identify micro ribonucleic acid (RNA) in cachexia, a condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and fat in patients with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States with the incidence of pancreatic cancer and overall mortality rate being higher in African Americans as compared to Caucasians. African Americans experience worse health outcomes overtime and these increased health disparities can be attributed to multiple factors. In order to fully understand and overcome these disparities, it is critical to consider the biological attributes of pancreatic cancer that contribute to worse outcomes in African American patients. One important negative outcome is cancer-related cachexia, which causes thinness, weakness, poor quality of life, and inability to tolerate treatment. Studies reported that patients with pancreatic cancer have the highest prevalence and often develop the most severe degrees of cachexia, specifically African Americans. African American pancreatic cancer patients’ markers of cachexia, including having more muscles loss, lower baseline albumin levels, and higher platelet counts, are increased compared to Caucasian patients. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in cachexia between different patient populations with pancreatic cancer and to find out the genes present in pancreatic cancer that may be related to cachexia that often occurs in patients with pancreatic cancer.