Abstract
Pancreatic cancer, often considered a metastatic disease at the time of clinical diagnosis due to lack of any reliable early diagnostic marker(s), is refractory to conventional chemo- and radiotherapy and has a dismal 5-year survival rate of only 6%. Although surgical removal of the primary tumor is considered to be curative, the 5-year survival rate is no more than 20% even in patients with clear resection margins (R0). The recurrence of local and metastatic disease (primarily liver metastasis) post resection is considered to be the leading cause of mortality in these patients. In addition, instances of metastatic disease without any local recurrence post resection have also been observed. Cancer metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in cancer patients and is classically viewed as a late event during the progression of the disease, which is supported by the genetic studies used to understand the evolution of pancreatic cancer. However, this view has recently been challenged by studies using mathematical modeling and genetically labeled mouse models of pancreatic cancer to understand the dynamics of tumor cell dissemination and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells well before the primary tumor is formed. Given that EMT is a hallmark process that initiates the metastatic seeding of cancer cells and the dismal prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients even after efficient removal of the primary tumor (99.9%), an early dissemination hypothesis of cancer cells cannot be undermined. In this review, we will discuss the current views regarding pancreatic cancer metastasis with particular emphasis on the epithelial to mesenchymal transition, its influence on the selection of patients for surgical resection and the therapeutic intervention.
Keywords: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), linear progression model, metastasis, pancreatic cancer, parallel progression model.
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title:Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis: Are we being Pre-EMTed?
Volume: 21 Issue: 10
Author(s): Srustidhar Das and Surinder K. Batra
Affiliation:
Keywords: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), linear progression model, metastasis, pancreatic cancer, parallel progression model.
Abstract: Pancreatic cancer, often considered a metastatic disease at the time of clinical diagnosis due to lack of any reliable early diagnostic marker(s), is refractory to conventional chemo- and radiotherapy and has a dismal 5-year survival rate of only 6%. Although surgical removal of the primary tumor is considered to be curative, the 5-year survival rate is no more than 20% even in patients with clear resection margins (R0). The recurrence of local and metastatic disease (primarily liver metastasis) post resection is considered to be the leading cause of mortality in these patients. In addition, instances of metastatic disease without any local recurrence post resection have also been observed. Cancer metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in cancer patients and is classically viewed as a late event during the progression of the disease, which is supported by the genetic studies used to understand the evolution of pancreatic cancer. However, this view has recently been challenged by studies using mathematical modeling and genetically labeled mouse models of pancreatic cancer to understand the dynamics of tumor cell dissemination and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells well before the primary tumor is formed. Given that EMT is a hallmark process that initiates the metastatic seeding of cancer cells and the dismal prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients even after efficient removal of the primary tumor (99.9%), an early dissemination hypothesis of cancer cells cannot be undermined. In this review, we will discuss the current views regarding pancreatic cancer metastasis with particular emphasis on the epithelial to mesenchymal transition, its influence on the selection of patients for surgical resection and the therapeutic intervention.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Das Srustidhar and Batra K. Surinder, Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis: Are we being Pre-EMTed?, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2015; 21 (10) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612821666141211115234
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612821666141211115234 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
The Interplay between Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 In Chronic Inflammation and Cancer
Current Medicinal Chemistry Amino Acid Degrading Enzymes and their Application in Cancer Therapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry Hypoxic Regulation of Metastasis via Hypoxia-Inducible Factors
Current Molecular Medicine Snake Venom Proteins and Peptides as Novel Antibiotics Against Microbial Infections
Current Proteomics Pharmacological Profile and Pharmacogenomics of Anti-Cancer Drugs Used for Targeted Therapy
Current Cancer Drug Targets Adrenomedullin-RAMP2 System in Cardiovascular Development and Homeostasis
Current Hypertension Reviews Cubilin, the Intrinsic Factor-Vitamin B12 Receptor in Development and Disease
Current Medicinal Chemistry Diverse Mechanisms of AKT Pathway Activation in Human Malignancy
Current Cancer Drug Targets Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis: Associations and Underlying Conditions
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews Lanreotide and its Potential Applications in Polycystic Kidney and Liver Diseases
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry New Player on An Old Field; the Keap1/Nrf2 Pathway as a Target for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
Current Diabetes Reviews A Personalized Approach to Systemic Treatment of Unresectable or Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Current Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine VEGF-VEGFR System as a Target for Suppressing Inflammation and other Diseases
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Emerging Roles of Meis1 in Cardiac Regeneration, Stem Cells and Cancer
Current Drug Targets HtrA Serine Proteases as Potential Therapeutic Targets in Cancer
Current Cancer Drug Targets Current and Future Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Liver Disease
Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders Metal Containing Cytostatics and Their Interaction with Cellular Thiol Compounds Causing Chemoresistance
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Tumor Angiogenesis: A Target for Renal Cell Carcinoma Therapy. Current Perspectives and Novel Strategies
Recent Patents on Biomarkers High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Approaches to Mass Spectrometry Based Metabolomics
Current Metabolomics Skin Cancers in Elderly Patients
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry