Galectin-1 as a therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer: the tumor stroma in the spotlight

Treating pancreatic cancer is one of the great challenges in cancer research and identification of new strategies is a must, considering the poor efficiency of standard chemotherapy and current patients’ dismal prognosis. We have recently identified Galectin-1 as a master regulator driving pancreatic cancer progression in the Ela-myc model. Interestingly, Galectin-1 depletion in these tumors not only results in decreased tumor cell proliferation but also in a profound remodeling of the desmoplastic reaction, impairing angiogenesis, stroma activation and boosting the animal immune response. Intriguingly, our experimental data indicate that Galectin-1 regulates the Hedgehog signaling pathway, which may well be responsible for some of the effects driven by the lectin in pancreatic cancer. We herein discuss how Galectin-1 may remodel the tumor microenvironment in this pathology and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target.