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Review
. 2017 Jul;116(1):7-15.
doi: 10.1002/jso.24643. Epub 2017 Jun 12.

The pancreatic cancer microenvironment: A true double agent

Laleh G Melstrom  1 , Marcela D Salazar  2 , Don J Diamond  2
Affiliations
Review

The pancreatic cancer microenvironment: A true double agent

Laleh G Melstrom et al. J Surg Oncol. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer is a complex balance of pro- and anti-tumor components. The dense desmoplasia consists of immune cells, extracellular matrix, growth factors, cytokines, and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAF) or pancreatic stellate cells (PSC). There are a multitude of targets including hyaluronan, angiogenesis, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), CD40, chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR-4), immunotherapy, and Vitamin D. The developing clinical therapeutics will be reviewed.

Keywords: focal adhesion kinase; hedgehog inhibitors; hyaluronan; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment; vitamin D.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
With progressive acquisition of somatic mutations, the TME in PDAC changes in a number of ways as summarized in part above.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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