A sign of the early development of pancreatic cancer has been identified by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among other institutions.

This early sign – an upsurge in specific amino acids – happens before pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, and even before any symptoms appear.

Pancreatic cancer accounts for approximately three percent of all cancers in the U.S., and about seven percent of all cancer deaths.

Co-senior authors of the new study Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber, and Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD, of MIT and Dana-Farber, analyzed blood samples from 1,500 people who participated in health-tracking studies. More than 100 different metabolites were analyzed, and the results were then compared between participants who eventually developed pancreatic cancer and those who did not.

The researchers discovered that higher amounts of branched chain amino acids were present in those who developed pancreatic cancer, in comparison to those who did not. The amount of time that passed before those people were diagnosed with the disease ranged from two to 25 years. The greatest risk was in the few years before diagnosis.

These findings prompted the scientists to hypothesize that the increase in branched chain amino acids is a result of the presence of an early tumor.

“Most people with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) – by far the most common form of cancreatic cancer – are diagnosed after the disease has reached an advanced stage, and many die within a year of diagnosis. Detecting the disease earlier in its development may improve our ability to treat it successfully. In this study, we asked whether PDAC produces metabolic changes – changes in the way the body uses energy and nutrients – that can be detected before the disease is diagnosed,” said Wolpin in a statement.

The findings of the research are published online in the journal Nature Medicine.