Role of Polypeptide Growth Factors and Their Receptors in Human Pancreatic Cancer

Carcinoma of the pancreas is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the Western world (1, 2). The 1-yr overall survival rate in patients with pancreatic carcinoma is approx 12%; the 5-yr overall survival is approx 3–5% (1, 2). The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is frequently established at an advanced stage, when the majority of patients are not candidates for surgery. Furthermore, nonsurgical treatment for pancreatic cancer is generally ineffective, because of the tumor’s propensity to metastasize, and because of the resistance of pancreatic cancer cells to cytotoxic agents. Considerable effort has been directed, therefore, at understanding the molecular alterations that occur in this disorder, with the hope that this will lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.