Targeted therapies for pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Where do we stand, how far can we go?

Abstract

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (usually referred to as pancreatic cancer) is a highly lethal and aggressive malignancy with a disease-related mortality almost equaling its incidence, and one of the most challenging cancers to treat. The notorious resistance of pancreatic cancer not only to conventional cytotoxic therapies but also to almost all targeted agents developed to date, continues to puzzle the oncological community and represents one of the biggest hurdles to reducing the death toll from this ominous disease. This editorial highlights the most important recent advances in preclinical and clinical research, with regards to targeted therapeutics for pancreatic cancer, outlines current challenges and provides an overview of potential future perspectives in this rapidly evolving field.

Keywords: Clinical; Cytotoxic chemotherapy; Pancreatic cancer; Preclinical; Targeted agents.