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Review
. 2024 Jul 15;16(7):2902-2914.
doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i7.2902.

Role of molecular biology in the management of pancreatic cancer

Alice Boileve  1 , Cristina Smolenschi  2 , Aurélien Lambert  3 , Valérie Boige  2 , Anthony Tarabay  2 , Marine Valery  2 , Alina Fuerea  2 , Thomas Pudlarz  2 , Thierry Conroy  3 , Antoine Hollebecque  2 , Michel Ducreux  2
Affiliations
Review

Role of molecular biology in the management of pancreatic cancer

Alice Boileve et al. World J Gastrointest Oncol. .

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents significant challenges in patient management due to a dismal prognosis, increasing incidence, and limited treatment options. In this regard, precision medicine, which personalizes treatments based on tumour molecular characteristics, has gained great interest. However, its widespread implementation is not fully endorsed in current recommendations. This review explores key molecular alterations in PDAC, while emphasizing differences between KRAS-mutated and KRAS-wild-type tumours. It assesses the practical application of precision medicine in clinical settings and outlines potential future directions with respect to PDAC. Actionable molecular targets are examined with the aim of enhancing our understanding of PDAC molecular biology. Insights from this analysis may contribute to a more refined and personalized approach to pancreatic cancer treatment, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Keywords: KRAS; Liquid biopsy; Molecular profile; Pancreatic cancer; Precision medicine; Targeted therapies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Principles of precision medicine compared to the traditional model of patient management.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Main actionable alterations according to KRAS status[32,35,61,86].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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