Pancreatic cancer EMT‑targeted therapy: Molecular mechanisms and clinical translation (Review) - PubMed
5 days ago
- #Pancreatic cancer
- #Targeted therapy
- #EMT
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a low 5-year survival rate (~9%) due to late diagnosis, aggressive metastasis, and therapy resistance.
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key driver of PDAC malignancy, promoting invasion, dissemination, and treatment failure.
- EMT operates as a spectrum of hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal states, not a binary switch.
- Core transcription factors (Snail, ZEB, Twist), tumor microenvironment crosstalk (TGF-β, HGF signaling), and epigenetic reprogramming drive EMT in PDAC.
- EMT contributes to cancer stem cell properties and circulating tumor cell survival/colonization.
- Emerging EMT-targeted therapies (e.g., STNM01) are in early-phase clinical trials.
- EMT's plastic spectrum states and subtype-specific regulatory networks offer a new framework for PDAC therapy.
- Targeting EMT has transformative potential to overcome PDAC's therapeutic barriers and improve survival.