Abstract
Pancreatic cancer remains a highly recalcitrant disease despite the development of systemic chemotherapies. New treatment options are thus urgently required. Dense stromal formation, so‐called “desmoplastic stroma,” plays controversial roles in terms of pancreatic cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. Cells such as cancer‐associated fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and immune cells comprise the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is considered an immune‐quiescent disease, but activation of immunological response in pancreatic cancer may contribute to favorable outcomes. Herein, we review the role of the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer, with a focus on immunological aspects.
Highlights
Patients with pancreatic cancer show a dismal prognosis, with 5- year overall survival rates of 7%-8% in both Japan and the USA.[1]
Recent studies have shown that the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, including cancer-associated fibroblasts such as stellate cells, extracellular matrix, various kinds of immune cells, and cytokines released by these cells, participates in controlling tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis by means of close interactions with cancer cells
Preclinical and clinical studies have focused on the tumor microenvironment as a potential novel target that may lead to cure for pancreatic cancer
Summary
Patients with pancreatic cancer show a dismal prognosis, with 5- year overall survival rates of 7%-8% in both Japan and the USA.[1].
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