DESCRIPTION:
This presentation will delineate the 7 deadly hallmarks of pancreatic cancer and discuss potential new methods to approach each of these. This will include reminding the audience about inflammation, stromal dysregulation, altered metabolism, cellular plasticity, and RAS oncogene dependence as topics that stimulate pancreatic cancer initiation and progression. Finally, we will end with new preclinical approaches due to the development of organoids, and for new avenues to develop biomarkers for the detection of pancreatic cancer.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Describe the impact inflammation in pancreatic tumorigenesis
•  Appreciate that the peripheral nervous system can promote pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer initiation
•  Understand that the mevalonate pathway is dysregulated in part due to cholesterol esterification
•  Learn that altered epigenetic states are central to pancreatic cancer progression
•  Recognize that RAS antagonists, although clinically active, will require additional approaches to extend responses
•  Realize that new in vitro models, such as organoids, may help identify active therapies for pancreatic cancer patients
•  Consider Neo-epitopes as a means to develop early detection modalities for pancreatic cancer patients