Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest solid tumors and is estimated to become a leading cause of cancer-related death in coming years. Despite advances in surgical approaches and the emergence of new chemotherapy options, its poor prognosis has not improved in the last deca...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/8/843 |
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| author | Graziana Digiacomo Francesco Volta Ingrid Garajova Rita Balsano Andrea Cavazzoni |
| author_facet | Graziana Digiacomo Francesco Volta Ingrid Garajova Rita Balsano Andrea Cavazzoni |
| author_sort | Graziana Digiacomo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest solid tumors and is estimated to become a leading cause of cancer-related death in coming years. Despite advances in surgical approaches and the emergence of new chemotherapy options, its poor prognosis has not improved in the last decades. The current treatment for PDAC is the combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy agents. However, PDAC shows resistance to many antineoplastic therapies with rapid progression. Although PDAC represents a heterogeneous disease, there are common alterations including oncogenic mutations of KRAS, and the frequent inactivation of different cell cycle regulators including the CDKN2A tumor suppressor gene. An emerging field of investigation focuses on inhibiting the function of proteins that suppress the immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1, with activation of the endogenous immune response. To date, all conventional immunotherapies have been less successful in patients with PDAC compared to other tumors. The need for new targets, associated with an extended molecular analysis of tumor samples could give new pharmacological options for the treatment of PDAC. It is, therefore, important to push for a broader molecular approach in PDAC research. Here, we provide a selected summary of emerging strategy options for targeting PDAC using CDK4/6 inhibitors, RAS inhibitors, and new drug combinations with immune checkpoint agents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:39:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26d9e63f0eca4feeada67d37bbc32860 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:39:47Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-26d9e63f0eca4feeada67d37bbc328602023-11-22T08:23:43ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292021-08-0111884310.3390/life11080843Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDACGraziana Digiacomo0Francesco Volta1Ingrid Garajova2Rita Balsano3Andrea Cavazzoni4Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43100 Parma, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43100 Parma, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, ItalyPancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest solid tumors and is estimated to become a leading cause of cancer-related death in coming years. Despite advances in surgical approaches and the emergence of new chemotherapy options, its poor prognosis has not improved in the last decades. The current treatment for PDAC is the combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy agents. However, PDAC shows resistance to many antineoplastic therapies with rapid progression. Although PDAC represents a heterogeneous disease, there are common alterations including oncogenic mutations of KRAS, and the frequent inactivation of different cell cycle regulators including the CDKN2A tumor suppressor gene. An emerging field of investigation focuses on inhibiting the function of proteins that suppress the immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1, with activation of the endogenous immune response. To date, all conventional immunotherapies have been less successful in patients with PDAC compared to other tumors. The need for new targets, associated with an extended molecular analysis of tumor samples could give new pharmacological options for the treatment of PDAC. It is, therefore, important to push for a broader molecular approach in PDAC research. Here, we provide a selected summary of emerging strategy options for targeting PDAC using CDK4/6 inhibitors, RAS inhibitors, and new drug combinations with immune checkpoint agents.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/8/843pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)CDK4/6KRASPD-L1chemotherapy |
| spellingShingle | Graziana Digiacomo Francesco Volta Ingrid Garajova Rita Balsano Andrea Cavazzoni Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC Life pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) CDK4/6 KRAS PD-L1 chemotherapy |
| title | Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC |
| title_full | Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC |
| title_fullStr | Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC |
| title_short | Biological Hallmarks and New Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of PDAC |
| title_sort | biological hallmarks and new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of pdac |
| topic | pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) CDK4/6 KRAS PD-L1 chemotherapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/8/843 |
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