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Review
. 2024 Oct 4:16:17588359241284911.
doi: 10.1177/17588359241284911. eCollection 2024.

Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in pancreatic cancer: is it a worthwhile endeavor?

Al Jarroudi Ouissam  1   2 , Chibani Hind  1   2 , Brahmi Sami Aziz  1   2 , Afqir Said  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in pancreatic cancer: is it a worthwhile endeavor?

Al Jarroudi Ouissam et al. Ther Adv Med Oncol. .

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an aggressive disease that is challenging to treat and is associated with a high mortality rate. The most common type of PC is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and the existing treatment options are insufficient for PDAC patients. Due to the complexity and heterogeneity of PDAC, personalized medicine is necessary for effectively treating this illness. To achieve this, it is essential to understand the mechanism of PDAC carcinogenesis. Targeted therapies are a promising strategy to improve patient outcomes. Aberrant activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in PC pathogenesis, from initiation to progression. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the PI3K pathway in PDAC, summarizes clinical data on PI3K pathway inhibition in PDAC, and explores potential effective combinations that are a promising direction requiring further investigation in PDAC.

Keywords: PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway; clinical trials; genetic alterations; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; targeted therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overview of PI3K/AKT/ mTOR signaling pathway. Source: Reprinted from “PI3K Pathway in Cancer,” by BioRender.com (2024). Retrieved from https://app.biorender.com/biorender-templates
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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