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Review
. 2020 Dec 29;12(1):33.
doi: 10.3390/genes12010033.

Immune-Based Therapies and the Role of Microsatellite Instability in Pancreatic Cancer

Michele Ghidini  1 , Andrea Lampis  2   3 , Milko B Mirchev  4 , Ali Fuat Okuducu  5 , Margherita Ratti  2   3   6 , Nicola Valeri  2   3   7 , Jens C Hahne  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Immune-Based Therapies and the Role of Microsatellite Instability in Pancreatic Cancer

Michele Ghidini et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies with limited treatment options thus resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Among all cancers, with a five-year survival rates of only 2-9%, pancreatic cancer holds the worst prognostic outcome for patients. To improve the overall survival, an earlier diagnosis and stratification of cancer patients for personalized treatment options are urgent needs. A minority of pancreatic cancers belong to the spectrum of Lynch syndrome-associated cancers and are characterized by microsatellite instability (MSI). MSI is a consequence of defective mismatch repair protein functions and it has been well characterized in other gastrointestinal tumors such as colorectal and gastric cancer. In the latter, high levels of MSI are linked to a better prognosis and to an increased benefit to immune-based therapies. Therefore, the same therapies could offer an opportunity of treatment for pancreatic cancer patients with MSI. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about immune-based therapies and MSI in pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Lynch syndrome; immune-based therapy; microsatellite instability; mismatch repair system; pancreatic cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

N.V. received speaker honorarium from the companies Bayer, Eli-Lilly, Pfizer, and Merck. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of the different immune milieu for microsatellite instable (MSI) (A) and microsatellite stabile (MSS) (B) pancreatic cancer. The different number of immune cells especially of CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment of the two groups of pancreatic cancer is shown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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