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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: tumor microenvironment and problems in the development of novel therapeutic strategies

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Abstract

Diagnosis and treatment of carcinoma of the exocrine part of the pancreas is a serious problem for modern medicine. Despite the identification of a large number of aberrant mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), attempts to create effective therapeutic agents based on identified genetic or epigenetic variations have not been succesful. The role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in tumor progression is currently a popular topic. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and extracellular matrix (ECM) are the main components of the tumor stroma and play an important role in the proliferation, invasiveness and metastasis of cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of CAFs and ECM on cancer progression are still unclear. Recent studies on stromal components and blockage of signaling pathways have brought some optimism to this area. New information on the role of TME will lead to the development of targeted therapies or combinations with modern chemotherapy for PDAC.

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Acknowledgements

The work was conducted under the Inner Grant of Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry and the IDB RAS Government Basic Research Program in 2022 No 0088-2021-0017.

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  1. A.I. Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 20, Bld 1, Delegatskaya Street, Moscow, Russia, 127473

    Alla Kuznetsova, Olga Popova, Dmitry Panchenkov & Alexey Ivanov

  2. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 26 Vavilov Street, Moscow, Russia, 119334

    Alla Kuznetsova

  3. I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), 8-2 Trubetskaya Street, Moscow, Russia, 119991

    Tatyana Dyuzheva

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AI conceived the presented idea. Literature search and data analysis were performed by AK, OP and TD. AK and AI prepared the figures. The first draft of the manuscript was written by AK. OP, AI and DP drafted and critically revised the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Kuznetsova, A., Popova, O., Panchenkov, D. et al. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: tumor microenvironment and problems in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Clin Exp Med 23, 619–643 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-022-00886-1

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