title: Cancer Manipulation of Host Physiology: Lessons from Pancreatic Cancer.
abstract: Homeostasis is a fundamental property of living organisms enabling the human body to withstand internal and external insults. In several chronic diseases, and especially in cancer, many homeostatic mechanisms are deranged. Pancreatic cancer in particular is notorious for its ability to invoke an intense fibroinflammatory stromal reaction facilitating its progression and resistance to treatment. In the past decade, several seminal discoveries have elucidated previously unrecognized modes of commandeering the host's defense systems. Here we review novel discoveries in pancreatic cancer immunobiology and attempt to integrate the notion of deranged homeostasis in the pathogenesis of this disease. We also highlight areas of controversy and obstacles that need to be overcome, hoping to further our mechanistic insight into this malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Hepatopancreatobiliary Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Surgery, Harlem Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10037, USA.
authors.forename: Constantinos P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Zambirinis
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. Electronic address: george.miller@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000276:immunology
keywords: cancer-associated fibroblasts; immunity; inflammation; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; stroma