Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics
Mortality remains alarmingly high for patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with 93% succumbing to the disease within five years. The vast majority of PDAC cases are driven by activating mutations in the proto-oncogene KRAS, which results in constitutive proliferation and...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2018-01-01
|
Series: | Cancers |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/10/1/14 |
id |
doaj-63cad3f7802b4b758fa0762f5dd9675f |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-63cad3f7802b4b758fa0762f5dd9675f2020-11-24T22:39:47ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942018-01-011011410.3390/cancers10010014cancers10010014Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in TherapeuticsJacob M. Smigiel0Neetha Parameswaran1Mark W. Jackson2Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USADepartment of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USADepartment of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USAMortality remains alarmingly high for patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with 93% succumbing to the disease within five years. The vast majority of PDAC cases are driven by activating mutations in the proto-oncogene KRAS, which results in constitutive proliferation and survival signaling. As efforts to target RAS and its downstream effectors continue, parallel research aimed at identifying novel targets is also needed in order to improve therapeutic options and efficacy. Recent studies demonstrate that self-renewing cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to metastatic dissemination and therapy failure, the causes of mortality from PDAC. Here, we discuss current challenges in PDAC therapeutics, highlight the contribution of mesenchymal/CSC plasticity to PDAC pathogenesis, and propose that targeting the drivers of plasticity will prove beneficial. Increasingly, intrinsic oncogenic and extrinsic pro-growth/survival signaling emanating from the tumor microenvironment (TME) are being implicated in the de novo generation of CSC and regulation of tumor cell plasticity. An improved understanding of key regulators of PDAC plasticity is providing new potential avenues for targeting the properties associated with CSC (including enhanced invasion and migration, metastatic outgrowth, and resistance to therapy). Finally, we describe the growing field of therapeutics directed at cancer stem cells and cancer cell plasticity in order to improve the lives of patients with PDAC.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/10/1/14cancer stem cellscell plasticityepithelial–mesenchymal transitiontumor microenvironmentoncogenestherapeutics |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jacob M. Smigiel Neetha Parameswaran Mark W. Jackson |
spellingShingle |
Jacob M. Smigiel Neetha Parameswaran Mark W. Jackson Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics Cancers cancer stem cells cell plasticity epithelial–mesenchymal transition tumor microenvironment oncogenes therapeutics |
author_facet |
Jacob M. Smigiel Neetha Parameswaran Mark W. Jackson |
author_sort |
Jacob M. Smigiel |
title |
Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics |
title_short |
Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics |
title_full |
Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics |
title_fullStr |
Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics |
title_full_unstemmed |
Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cell Plasticity: The Latest in Therapeutics |
title_sort |
targeting pancreatic cancer cell plasticity: the latest in therapeutics |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Cancers |
issn |
2072-6694 |
publishDate |
2018-01-01 |
description |
Mortality remains alarmingly high for patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with 93% succumbing to the disease within five years. The vast majority of PDAC cases are driven by activating mutations in the proto-oncogene KRAS, which results in constitutive proliferation and survival signaling. As efforts to target RAS and its downstream effectors continue, parallel research aimed at identifying novel targets is also needed in order to improve therapeutic options and efficacy. Recent studies demonstrate that self-renewing cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to metastatic dissemination and therapy failure, the causes of mortality from PDAC. Here, we discuss current challenges in PDAC therapeutics, highlight the contribution of mesenchymal/CSC plasticity to PDAC pathogenesis, and propose that targeting the drivers of plasticity will prove beneficial. Increasingly, intrinsic oncogenic and extrinsic pro-growth/survival signaling emanating from the tumor microenvironment (TME) are being implicated in the de novo generation of CSC and regulation of tumor cell plasticity. An improved understanding of key regulators of PDAC plasticity is providing new potential avenues for targeting the properties associated with CSC (including enhanced invasion and migration, metastatic outgrowth, and resistance to therapy). Finally, we describe the growing field of therapeutics directed at cancer stem cells and cancer cell plasticity in order to improve the lives of patients with PDAC. |
topic |
cancer stem cells cell plasticity epithelial–mesenchymal transition tumor microenvironment oncogenes therapeutics |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/10/1/14 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT jacobmsmigiel targetingpancreaticcancercellplasticitythelatestintherapeutics AT neethaparameswaran targetingpancreaticcancercellplasticitythelatestintherapeutics AT markwjackson targetingpancreaticcancercellplasticitythelatestintherapeutics |
_version_ |
1725707620653727744 |