Pancreatic cancer is usually detected at a late stage, when tumors have already metastasized; therefore, it has a poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of 11% to 12%. A key to targeting this high mortality is to develop methods for detecting the disease at a stage in which it is still local to the pancreas. However, this needs a better understanding of the events that govern pancreatic cancer oncogenesis. In this issue of Cancer Research, Neuß and colleagues report metabolic changes associated with acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), an initiating event that leads to the formation of precursor lesions for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Their findings reveal a switch to aerobic glycolysis, increased c-MYC signaling, and increased serine metabolism as driving factors for the ADM process. These findings are important as they demonstrate that metabolic changes that drive the proliferation and metastasis of full-blown PDAC begin in the earliest lesions. The data not only provide insights into how PDAC develops but also a potential explanation for previously described findings, such as circulating lesion cells can be detected even when no carcinoma in situ is present. In summary, this article is highly relevant for furthering our understanding of how metabolic reprogramming drives the earliest events leading to PDAC development and could lay the groundwork for developing methods for early detection or intervention.
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15 July 2024
In the Spotlight|
July 15 2024
Earliest Metabolic Changes Associated with the Initiation of Pancreatic Cancer
Peter Storz
Peter Storz
*
Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.
*Corresponding Author: Peter Storz, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224. E-mail: storz.peter@mayo.edu
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*Corresponding Author: Peter Storz, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224. E-mail: storz.peter@mayo.edu
Cancer Res 2024;84:2225–6
Received:
April 19 2024
Accepted:
April 22 2024
Online ISSN: 1538-7445
Print ISSN: 0008-5472
©2024 American Association for Cancer Research
2024
American Association for Cancer Research
Cancer Res (2024) 84 (14): 2225–2226.
Article history
Received:
April 19 2024
Accepted:
April 22 2024
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Citation
Peter Storz; Earliest Metabolic Changes Associated with the Initiation of Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 15 July 2024; 84 (14): 2225–2226. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-24-0874
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