Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Therapeutic Opportunities and Clinical Challenges.

ABSTRACT: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignant disease with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Macrophages are one of the earliest infiltrating cells in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, and are associated with an increased risk of disease progression, recurrence, metastasis, and shorter overall survival. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated an unequivocal role of macrophages in PDAC by contributing to chronic inflammation, cancer cell stemness, desmoplasia, immune suppression, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Several macrophage-targeting therapies have also been investigated in pre-clinical models, and include macrophage depletion, inhibiting macrophage recruitment, and macrophage reprogramming. However, the effectiveness of these d

SUBMITTER: Poh AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8226457 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature