Stem cell–directed therapies in pancreatic cancer

Targeted Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer related death and by 2030, it will be second only to lung cancer. We have seen tremendous advances in therapies for lung cancer as well as other solid tumors using a molecular targeted approach but our progress in treating pancreatic cancer has been incremental with median overall survival remaining less than one year. There is an urgent ne...

Targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer.

INTRODUCTION Pancreatic cancer is a devastating malignancy and a leading cause of cancer mortality. Furthermore, early diagnosis represents a serious hurdle for clinicians, as symptoms are non-specific and usually manifest in advanced, treatment-resistant stages of the disease. SOURCES OF DATA Here, we review the rationale and progress of targeted therapies currently under investigation. AR...

New target therapies in advanced pancreatic cancer.

The recent elucidation both of the mechanisms involved in pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis and the related molecular events, has led to several distinct therapeutic advances, including many novel target agents, such as monoclonal antibodies against EGFR, EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibody against VEGF, farnesyl transferase inhibitors, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, COX 2...

Stem Cells in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer stem cells.

Studies are emerging in support of the cancer stem cells (CSCs) theory which considers that a tiny subset of cancer cells is exclusively responsible for the initiation and malignant behavior of a cancer. This cell population, also termed CSCs, possesses the capacity both to self-renew, producing progeny that have the identical tumorigenic potential, and to differentiate into the bulk of cancer ...