title: Genetic factors affecting patient responses to pancreatic cancer treatment.
abstract: Cancer of the exocrine pancreas is a malignancy with a high lethal rate. Surgical resection is the only possible curative mode of treatment. Metastatic pancreatic cancer is incurable with modest results from the current treatment options. New genomic information could prove treatment efficacy. An independent review of PubMed and ScienceDirect databases was performed up to March 2016, using combinations of terms such pancreatic exocrine cancer, chemotherapy, genomic profile, pancreatic cancer pharmacogenomics, genomics, molecular pancreatic pathogenesis, and targeted therapy. Recent genetic studies have identified new markers and therapeutic targets. Our current knowledge of pancreatic cancer genetics must be further advanced to elucidate the molecular basis and pathogenesis of the disease, improve the accuracy of diagnosis, and guide tailor-made therapies.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Unit, Third Department of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece (George Fotopoulos, Konstantinos Syrigos).
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fotopoulos
authors.affiliation: Oncology Unit, Third Department of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece (George Fotopoulos, Konstantinos Syrigos); Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Konstantinos Syrigos).
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Syrigos
authors.affiliation: Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (Muhammad Wasif Saif).
authors.forename: Muhammad Wasif
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Saif
keywords: Chemotherapy; genomics; molecular pancreatic pathogenesis; pancreatic exocrine cancer; targeted therapy