Stem cells in pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the fourth cause of cancer-related death, is highly resistant to conventional chemo and radiation therapy. Despite the efforts in therapy research and those to improve the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer in the last 10 years, there has not been major advance. The increasing study and understanding of pancreatic cancer biology has led us to discover the pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSC), a cell subpopulation with self-renewal characteristics and multipotential phenotype. They are considered the drivers of tumorigenesis and metastasis, and also responsible to confer resistance to current therapy, and repopulate the tumor after chemotherapy withdrawal. These CSCs are changing the way to understand and treat PDAC. Significant efforts have been made in CSC to define the underling mechanisms of resistance, progression and metastasis; and identify potential therapeutic targets in these cells to improve response rates and survival in patients with PDAC. The question to answer is whether this effort is working or not?