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Textbook of Pancreatic Cancer pp 321–336Cite as

The Role of Epigenetics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

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Abstract

Epigenetics entails the study of heritable DNA modifications without changes in the nucleotide sequence. This is increasingly understood as a driver in tumor development in various cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The changes are reversible and are therefore targets for tumor directed therapies. Further, the cancer specific epigenome can be analyzed through liquid and tissue biopsies, paving the way for diagnostic, screening and prognostic opportunities. In addition, epigenetic changes are influenced by environmental factors and lifestyle, enabling the identification of preventive measures. This chapter explores our current understanding of the epigenome in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the possibility for epigenetic therapies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Quality and Health Technology, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

    Marcus Roalsø

  2. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, HPB Unit, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway

    Marcus Roalsø & Kjetil Søreide

  3. Gastrointestinal Translational Research Group, Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway

    Marcus Roalsø & Kjetil Søreide

  4. Department of Medical Genetics, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Øyvind Holsbø Hald

  5. Department of Surgery, Clinical Sciences Lund, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Daniel Ansari & Roland Andersson

  6. Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Kjetil Søreide

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  1. Marcus Roalsø
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Correspondence to Marcus Roalsø .

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  1. Stavanger University Hospital, The University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Kjetil Søreide

  2. Chirurgie (VTT), Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria

    Stefan Stättner

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Roalsø, M., Hald, Ø.H., Ansari, D., Andersson, R., Søreide, K. (2021). The Role of Epigenetics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. In: Søreide, K., Stättner, S. (eds) Textbook of Pancreatic Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53786-9_22

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