title: Utilizing endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in identifying molecular targets for pancreatic cancer.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer remains a devastating disease, with poor survival rates and high recurrence rates with current treatment regimens. Over the years we have come to understand the complex biology of this cancer, involving cross-talking signaling pathways that proffers resistance to current therapy. Several molecularly targeted agents remain in development. At the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, an abstract (#4051) was presented which explored using endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of pancreatic cancer tissue to identify molecular targets, and argued for the feasibility of personalizing pancreatic cancer therapy based on the activated molecular pathways identified. We summarize their findings and discuss the possibility of utilizing this model to obtain a better understanding of pancreatic cancer at each stage of its metamorphosis and target therapy at these different levels.
authors.affiliation: Tufts University School of Medicine. Boston, MA 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Onyekachi Henry
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Ogbonna
authors.forename: Muhammad Wasif
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Saif
mesh_terms: D061765:Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D011799:Quinazolines; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3; C581292:ERBB3 protein, human