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MYC in pancreatic cancer: novel mechanistic insights and their translation into therapeutic strategies

Oncogene volume 35, pages 1609–1618 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Owing to its aggressiveness, late detection and marginal therapeutic accessibility, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a most challenging malignant disease. Despite scientific progress in the understanding of the mechanisms that underly PDAC initiation and progression, the successful translation of experimental findings into effective new therapeutic strategies remains a largely unmet need. The oncogene MYC is activated in many PDAC cases and is a master regulator of vital cellular processes. Excellent recent studies have shed new light on the tremendous functions of MYC in cancer and identified inhibition of MYC as a likewise beneficial and demanding effort. This review will focus on mechanisms that contribute to deregulation of MYC expression in pancreatic carcinogenesis and progression and will summarize novel biological findings from recent in vivo models. Finally, we provide a perspective, how regulation of MYC in PDAC may contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches.

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Acknowledgements

We apologize to all the investigators whose research could not be included in this review owing to space constraints.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic for Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany

    E Hessmann & V Ellenrieder

  2. Department of Internal Medicine II, Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität, Munich, Germany

    G Schneider & J T Siveke

  3. German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany

    J T Siveke

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Hessmann, E., Schneider, G., Ellenrieder, V. et al. MYC in pancreatic cancer: novel mechanistic insights and their translation into therapeutic strategies. Oncogene 35, 1609–1618 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2015.216

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