Immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive and notoriously difficult to treat. Unfortunately, the vast majority of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the cancer, and only a small population is potentially curative by surgical resection. Although gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is typically offered as standard of care, most patients do not survive longer than 6 months. FOLFIRINOX has shown superiority over gemcitabine mono therapy in metastatic disease, but this regimen is optimal only for selective patients. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Pancreatic cancer cells that develop gemcitabine resistance would still be suitable targets for immunotherapy. Therefore, one promising treatment approach may be immunotherapy that is designed to target pancreatic-cancer-associated antigens. The identification of key signaling pathways involved in immune-system regulation, along with the development of early pancreatic tumors in mouse models have provided new opportunities for pancreatic cancer treatment and prevention. Immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer is a therapeutic approach that is designed to target pancreatic-cancer-associated antigens and regulatory signaling molecules. This approach is currently at a crucial crossroad, and has entered clinical trials both as mono therapy and in combination with chemotherapy. It is hoped that the evolution of immunotherapy will offer a more optimistic prognosis for patients with pancreatic cancer.