Stromal Hedgehog Signaling Is Associated with Favorable Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway can be observed in various malignancies, particularly in stroma-rich tumors like pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In PDAC, Hh signaling is thought to foster an abundant stroma, making it an appealing target for stoma-targeted therapy. However, the use of Hh antagonists in the clinic has thus far not been successful. To reassess the clinical merit of Hh-targeted therapy in PDAC, we sought to better characterize the role of Hh signaling in tumor-stroma crosstalk. Here, we show that Hh ligands are not prognostic per se in PDAC, despite being associated with the favorable classical molecular subtype. Perturbing Hh ligand expression in PDAC cells can effectively alter their trans-signaling capacity but does not impact tumor grow

SUBMITTER: Manoukian P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12154493 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature