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Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: molecular drivers and the role of targeted therapy

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Abstract

Prognosis from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) continues to be poor despite the many efforts channeled to improve its management. Although the mainstay treatment is still traditional chemotherapy, recent advances highlighted a promising potential for targeted therapy in the management of this disease. Those advances emphasize the significance of timely genomic profiling of tumor tissue as well as germline testing of patients to identify potential markers of targeted therapy. While targeted therapy is reserved for a relatively small subset of patients with PDAC, ongoing research is uncovering additional markers, and targeted agents, that will hopefully translate to better outcomes for patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, Wayne State University, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA

    Bayan Al-Share

  2. Department of Oncology, Ascension Providence Hospital and Medical Center/Michigan State University/Collage of Human Medicine, Southfield, MI, USA

    Nour Hammad

  3. Department of Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Maria Diab

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  1. Bayan Al-Share
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  3. Maria Diab
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This review covers the molecular drivers in the cell and the cell membrane involved in the development and progression of PDAC and novel therapeutic agents targeting them.

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Al-Share, B., Hammad, N. & Diab, M. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: molecular drivers and the role of targeted therapy. Cancer Metastasis Rev 40, 355–371 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-020-09948-w

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