Milestones etc.

Important Scientific milestones in 2017:

• Developed research collaboration with research groups in Lisbon/Portugal, Toronto/Canada and Nijmegen/Netherlands.
• Recruiting patients in the NORPACT-1 trial.
• Preparing the NORPACT-2 trial.
• Preparing the DIPLOMA trial.

Doctoral degrees in 2017:

• Mush Sahakyan: Laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of ductal adenocarcinoma in the distal pancreas: Surgical and oncological considerations. Thesis December 2017.Main supervisor: Bjørn Edwin.                                                                                                                         Co-supervisors: Knut Jørgen Labori, Bård Røsok, Airazat Kazaryan, Dejan Ignjatovic

Most important funding sources in 2017:

• South-Eastern Regional Health Trust
• The Radium Hospital Foundation
• Hole`s Foundation
• Telemark University College

Most important application activity (for external funding) in 2017:

• South-Eastern Health Trust
• Norwegian Cancer Society
• KLINBEFORSK

Short bullet point self-assessment of the group’s strengths and improvement areas/points

Strengths:

• Interdisciplinary Research Group
• Translational research
• High volume hospital
• Randomized and Prospective Clinical Studies

Improvements:

• Strengthen the internal and National Research Infrastructure: Database, Research Nurse, Internal Research Meetings
• Increase funding for both clinical and translational research.

Popular scientific contributions (newspaper/magazine chronicles, blog-posts, open lectures etc.):

• Open Lectures at World Pancreatic Cancer Day November 16: Knut Jørgen Labori: “Pancreatic Cancer in Norway”, Svein Dueland: “New Treatment Modalities”

3 most important publications from the two last years (2017 and 2016):

Year 2017:

1. Trends in indications, complications and outcomes for venous resection during pancreatoduodenectomy. Kleive D, Sahakyan MA, Berstad AE, Verbeke CS, Gladhaug IP, Edwin B, Fosby B, Line PD, Labori KJ. Br J Surg. 2017 Oct;104(11):1558-1567.
2. Laparoscopic surgery for pancreatic neoplasms: the European association for endoscopic surgery clinical consensus conference. Edwin B, Sahakyan MA, Abu Hilal M, Besselink MG, Braga M, Fabre JM, Fernández-Cruz L, Gayet B, Kim SC, Khatkov IE; EAES Consensus Conference Study Group. Surg Endosc. 2017 May;31(5):2023-2041.
3. Functional heterogeneity in tumor-derived human pancreatic stellate cells: Differential expression of HGF and implications for mitogenic signaling and migration in pancreatic cancer cells. Tjomsland V, Aasrum M, Christoffersen T, Gladhaug IP. Oncotarget. 2017 May 11;8(42):71672-71684.

Year 2016:

1. The Genomic Landscape of Pancreatic and Periampullary Adenocarcinoma.Sandhu V, Wedge DC, Bowitz Lothe IM, Labori KJ, Dentro SC, Buanes T, Skrede ML, Dalsgaard AM, Munthe E, Myklebost O, Lingj.rde OC, B.rresen-Dale AL, Ikdahl T, Van Loo P, Nord S, Kure EH. Cancer Res.2016 Sep 1;76(17):5092-102.
2. Impact of early disease progression and surgical complications on adjuvant chemotherapy completion rates and survival in patients undergoing the surgery first approach for resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma - A population-based cohort study.Labori KJ, Katz MH, Tzeng CW, Bjørnbeth BA, Cvancarova M, Edwin B, Kure EH, Eide TJ, Dueland S, Buanes T, Gladhaug IP. Acta Oncol.2016;55(3):265-77.
3. The TGFβ-SMAD3 pathway inhibits IL-1αinduced interactions between human pancreatic stellate cells and pancreatic carcinoma cells and restricts cancer cell migration.                                                                                                                      Tjomsland V, Sandnes D, Pomianowska E, Cizmovic ST, Aasrum M, Brusevold IJ, Christoffersen T, Gladhaug IP.  J Exp Clin Cancer Res.2016