Aggressive and Drug-resistant Pancreatic Cancer: Challenges and Novel Treatment Approaches

Pancreatic cancer, especially pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), has a mortality rate that is among the highest. The single therapy option that has the potential to be curative for the illness is surgery, which is generally accepted as being the only effective treatment available. This is because most pancreatic tumors are intractable to chemotherapy. Because of the severe nature of the illness that these tumors cause, only around twenty percent of these tumors can be surgically removed when the first symptoms appear. This is due to the harm that these tumors cause. Since surgery in late-stage cases does not usually offer benefits, here we shed light on the molecular mechanisms of the most aggressive pancreatic tumors that are highly resistant to drugs. We also describe two latest novel treatment approaches that are used to combat this fierce tumor: targeting exosome-mediated tumor-enhancement mechanisms and radiation therapy in combination with adverse effect-mitigating agents. Effective treatments for pancreatic cancer are needed to meet this urgent medical need.