The Emerging Genetic Basis and Its Clinical Implication in Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating diseases without early detection, effective screening biomarkers and therapeutic treatments. In the past decades, genetic studies have indicated various genes related to this malignancy. Summary: Genetic alterations have been involved in the initiation, progression and invasion of pancreatic cancer, which might indicate promising targets for early screening, diagnosis and future intervention. Here we will review genetic changes in pancreatic cancer and analyze their correlations with several common precursors and familial syndromes. Key Message: Genetic analysis for pancreatic cancer or its precursors might help us to characterize patients into subtype individuals in the future and have significant implications for individualized treatments. Practical Implications: At present, pancreatic cancer is regarded as a disease with a wide range of genetic alterations, including germline and somatic mutations. Some genetic alterations such as KRAS, p16^CDKN2A, TP53 and SMAD4 were specifically correlated with different types of histological precursors of pancreatic cancer and some familial syndromes highly related to pancreatic cancer. Moreover, genetic changes also predict drug sensitivity and implicate novel therapeutic targets.