Targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer.
BACKGROUND
Pancreatic cancer is a devastating malignancy and a leading cause of cancer mortality. Furthermore, early diagnosis represents a serious hurdle for clinicians, as symptoms are non-specific and usually manifest in advanced, treatment-resistant stages of the disease.


METHODS
Here, we review the rationale and progress of targeted therapies currently under investigation.


RESULTS
At present, chemoradiation regimes are administered palliatively, and produce only marginal survival benefits, underscoring a desperate need for more effective treatment modalities.


RESULTS
Questions have been raised as to whether erlotinib, the only targeted therapy to attain a statistically significant increase in median survival, is cost-effective.


CONCLUSIONS
The last decade of research has provided us with a wealth of information regarding the molecular nature of pancreatic cancer, leading to the identification of signalling pathways and their respective components which are critical for the maintenance of the malignant phenotype.


CONCLUSIONS
These proteins thus represent ideal targets for novel molecular therapies which embody an urgently needed novel treatment strategy.
Danovi
S A
SA
Centre for Molecular Oncology and Imaging, Institute of Cancer, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.
Wong
H H
HH
Lemoine
N R
NR