title: Discovering the route from inflammation to pancreatic cancer.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a complex malignancy with the worst prognosis, lack of early diagnostic symptoms and resistance to conventional chemo- and radiotherapies. A better understanding of the etiology and early developmental events of PC requires profound attention. The evolution of fully blown PC from initial pancreatic injury is a multi-factorial phenomenon with a series of sequential events. The initial acute infection or tissue damage triggers inflammation that, in conjunction with innate immunity, establishes a state of homeostasis to limit harm to the body. Recurrent pancreatic injuries due to genetic susceptibility, smoking, unhealthy diet, and alcohol abuse induces a pro-inflammatory milieu, consisting of various types of immune cells, cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and restructured extracellular matrix, leading to prolonged inflammatory/chronic conditions. Cells having sustained DNA damage and/or mutagenic assault take advantage of this prolonged inflammatory response and aid in the initiation and development of neoplastic/fibrotic events. Eventually, many tumor-stromal interactions result in a chaotic environment accompanied by a loss of immune surveillance and repair response, thereby leading to PC. A better understanding of the inflammatory markers defining this "injury-inflammation-cancer" pathway would help to identify novel molecular targets for early screening and therapeutic intervention for this lethal malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Momi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Krishn
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Batra
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood*; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018925:Chemokines; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor