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Abstract

Although surgical resection is considered to be the only approach that offers a possibility of cure to patients with pancreatic cancer, the prognosis of the disease has not been improved markedly by any surgical procedures in the past 20 years. Large-scale randomized prospective clinical trials are being conducted in the United States and Italy, comparing standard lymph node dissection with extended lymph node dissection. Although preoperative chemoradiation has various advantages in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, it does not contribute to its downstaging and eventual cure. The combination of leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and extracorporeal irradiation, however, has been proven to improve the patient's quality of life (QOL). Palliative surgery still requires further research in areas such as the examination of morbidity rates and the duration of bypass effects, now that laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery have both been well developed. Recent biological research has revealed the mechanisms of the carcinogenesis and the progression of pancreatic cancer, and, against this background, we assume that more effective trials will be conducted soon. Immunotherapy with dendritic cells, as well as gene therapy with mutant adenovirus, has already been employed clinically. Pancreatic cancer therapy is now facing new prospects.

A novel experimental model for human mixed acinar–ductal pancreatic cancer

“…Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the third most modifiable risk factor for pancreatic cancer, after cigarette smoking and obesity ( 4 ). The current therapy for pancreatic cancer is gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel or 5-flurouacil, but these combinations extend life by only a few months ( 5 , 6 ).…”

Efficient delivery of small interfering RNAs targeting particular mRNAs into pancreatic cancer cells inhibits invasiveness and metastasis of pancreatic tumors

“…This may be due to the remarkably short overall survival of our orthotopic mouse model of PDAC, and peritoneal dissemination and retroperitoneal invasion may have been a direct cause of death in our orthotopic mouse model. Free PDAC cells in the peritoneal cavity have been observed in 20-40% of human PDAC cases, even in patients without nodal involvement who underwent early resection [34]. Thus, to improve overall survival in patients with PDAC, more effective and better tolerated therapies that inhibit local and regional invasion from the tumor as well as distant metastasis are needed.…”

Pancreatic cancer and exosomes: role in progression, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment

“…Pancreatic cancer is usually treated by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery ( 144 ). However, each treatment has different side effects that can affect and even threaten the patient’s life ( 145 ). Therefore, it is essential to use methods that reduce the dose and application times of these treatments.…”