Inflammation and de-differentiation in pancreatic carcinogenesis

Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy with an extremely poor prognosis. Chronic pancreatitis is a well-known risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Inflammation is thought to influence carcinogenesis through DNA damage and activation of intracellular signaling pathways. Many transcription factors and signaling pathways co-operate to determine and maintain cell identity at each phase of pancreatic organogenesis and cell differentiation. Recent studies have shown that carcinogenesis is promoted through the suppression of transcription factors related to differentiation. Pancreatitis also demonstrates transcriptional changes, suggesting that multifactorial epigenetic changes lead to impaired differentiation. Taken together, these factors may constitute an important framework for pancreatic carcinogenesis. In this review, we discuss the role of inflammation and de-differentiation in the development of pancreatic cancer, as well as the future of novel therapeutic applications.