ADAM10 evens out the double-edged sword of radiotherapy in pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), especially when patients are not surgical candidates. Radiation-induced tumor death provokes an acute inflammation followed by a late-fibrotic response that parallels the fibroinflammatory tumor microenvironment of PDAC, inciting the question ofwhether radiation-induced fibrosis contributes to PDAC progression. The study published inthis issue by Mueller and colleagues presents a potential mechanism linking radiation-induced fibrosis with expression of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) and ephrin B2, which may also contribute to tumor progression. The authors show that ablation of ADAM10 decreases radiation-induced fibrosis and improves survival in preclinical models. These data suggest that targeting ADAM10 may help to improve clinical outcomes with radiotherapy, particularly if definitive radiation is not possible. A better understanding of the biology of radiotherapy in pancreatic cancer remains crucial, and Mueller and colleagues offer important insight in this regard.