Slater E, Amrillaeva V, Fendrich V, Bartsch D, Earl J, Vitone LJ, Neoptolemos JP, Greenhalf W. [creativecommons license] via Wikimedia CommonsPancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the US with a 5-year mortality rate >90%. This high mortality rate is due in part to the fact that tumors often go undetected during their early stages, allowing them to develop aggressive metastatic activity. Recent research on pancreatic cancer has focused on the tumor microenvironment (conditions surrounding the tumor itself) as a crucial regulator of tumor activity. New work directed by Carol Otey and Hong Jin Kim (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) identifies the protein palladin as a key extra-tumoral factor in the metastasis of pancreatic cancer.
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