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Review
. 2020 Oct 22:9:28.
doi: 10.1186/s40164-020-00184-0. eCollection 2020.

Molecular drivers and cells of origin in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma

He-Li Gao  1   2   3   4 , Wen-Quan Wang  1   2   3   4 , Xian-Jun Yu  1   2   3 , Liang Liu  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Molecular drivers and cells of origin in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma

He-Li Gao et al. Exp Hematol Oncol. .

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The two major histological subtypes of pancreatic cancer are pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), accounting for 90% of all cases, and pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (PanNEN), which makes up 3-5% of all cases. PanNEN is classified into well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor and poorly-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (PanNEC). Although PDAC and PanNEN are commonly thought to be different diseases with distinct biology, cell of origin, and genomic abnormalities, the idea that PDAC and PanNEC share common cells of origin has been gaining support. This is substantiated by evidence that the molecular profiling of PanNEC is genetically and phenotypically related to PDAC. In the current review, we summarize published studies pointing to common potential cells of origin and speculate about how the distinct paths of differentiation are determined by the genomic patterns of each disease. We also discuss the overlap between PDAC and PanNEC, which has been noted in clinical observations.

Keywords: Carcinogenesis; Genomic patterns; Neuroendocrine tumor; Pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Endocrine and exocrine cell differentiation during pancreas development
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Driver gene association network between PanNET (a) and PDAC (b)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Hypothesis of the evolution of PanNET, PDAC, and PanNET cells of origin
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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