NKMAX Proves Utility of NKView Kit in Evaluating Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Efficacy

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] NKMAX announced on the 20th that a large-scale study conducted on pancreatic cancer patients at the Department of Gastroenterology, Severance Hospital in Sinchon confirmed the correlation between pancreatic cancer prognosis and NK cell activity. The study is scheduled to be officially published in the October issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

The research team led by Professors Seungmin Bang and Heeseung Lee from the Department of Gastroenterology at Severance Hospital in Sinchon analyzed the correlation between NK cell activity and the effectiveness of anticancer treatment in pancreatic cancer patients by measuring NK cell activity (using the NK View Kit) according to △tumor size △response rate to chemotherapy △overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The study involved 102 pancreatic cancer patients and 101 healthy individuals.

NKMAX stated that the results showed NK cell activity in pancreatic cancer patients was lower compared to healthy individuals, and that NK cell activity varied according to the clinical course of pancreatic cancer patients (tumor resectability, tumor size, chemotherapy response, OS, PFS).

Yongman Kim, Director of the NKMAX Research Institute, explained, “Currently, NK cell activity testing is covered under selective reimbursement when conducted on pancreatic cancer patients, so there has already been market expectation regarding the correlation between pancreatic cancer prognosis and NK cell activity. Pancreatic cancer is known as one of the cancers with the poorest prognosis, and through this study, we confirmed the potential link between pancreatic cancer prognosis and the function of innate immune cells, NK cells.”

He added, “We believe this also suggests the possibility that immunotherapy could be applied in the future treatment of pancreatic cancer. We expect that NK cell activity testing will be actively utilized not only to monitor the treatment progress of pancreatic cancer patients but also to assist in selecting anticancer treatment regimens.”