title: CXCR2: a target for pancreatic cancer treatment?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, is very aggressive and has minimally effective treatment options. For those who have no surgical options, medical treatments are limited. The chemokine receptor CXCR2 has become the subject of much interest recently because of multiple studies indicating its involvement in cancer and inflammatory conditions. Research now indicates that CXCR2 and its ligands are intimately involved in tumor regulation and growth and that inhibition of its function shows promising results in multiple cancer types, including pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the authors review basic molecular and structural details of CXCR2, as well as the known functions of CXCR2 and several of its ligands in inflammation and cancer biology with specific attention to pancreatic cancer. Then the future possibilities and questions remaining for pharmacological intervention against CXCR2 in pancreatic cancer are explored.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many current inhibitory strategies already exist for targeting CXCR2 in vitro as well as in vivo. Clinically speaking, CXCR2 is an exciting potential target for pancreatic cancer; however, CXCR2 is functionally important for multiple processes and therapeutic options would benefit from further work toward understanding of these roles as well as structural and target specificity.
authors: Hirshberg Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Department of Surgery , 675 Charles E Young Drive, MRL 2535, Los Angeles, CA 90095 , USA.
authors: Kathleen M
authors: KM
authors: Hertzer
authors: Graham W
authors: GW
authors: Donald
authors: O Joe
authors: OJ
authors: Hines
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D008024:Ligands; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D023063:Receptors, Interleukin-8B / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008024:Ligands; D023063:Receptors, Interleukin-8B