The Paradoxical Web of Pancreatic Cancer Tumor Microenvironment

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is increasing in incidence and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Despite significant advances in understanding the disease, there has been minimal increase in PDAC patient survival. PDAC tumors are unique in the fact that there is significant desmoplasia. This generates a large stromal compartment composed of immune cells, inflammatory cells, growth factors, extracellular matrix, and fibroblasts, comprising the tumor microenvironment (TME), which may represent anywhere from 15% to 85% of the tumor.
Source: American Journal of Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research