title: Genetic alterations in pancreatic cancer.
abstract: The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is devastating for patients and their relatives as the incidence rate is approximately the same as mortality rate. Only a small percentage, which ranges from 0.4% to 4% of patients who have been given this diagnosis, will be alive at five years. At the time of diagnosis, 80% of pancreatic cancer patients have unresectable or metastatic disease. Moreover, the therapeutic alternatives offered by chemotherapy or radiotherapy are few, if not zero. For all these reasons, there is an imperative need of analyzing and understanding the primitive lesions that lead to invasive pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Molecular pathology of these lesions is the key of our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of this cancer and will probably help us in earlier diagnosis and better therapeutic results. This review focuses on medical research on pancreatic cancer models and the underlying genetic alterations.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. wasif.saif@yale.edu
authors.forename: Muhammad Wasif
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Saif
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karapanagiotou
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Syrigos
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D019942:Genes, p16; D006801:Humans; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D009857:Oncogenes; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D051736:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051901:Smad4 Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D051901:Smad4 Protein; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051736:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D019098:Telomerase; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases