Overcoming the Barriers: Cellular and Molecular Pathology of Pancreatic Cancer
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Cancer Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant malignancies. Its dense and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), metabolic adaptations, and early metastatic spread contribute to limited therapeutic success. This Special Issue aims to highlight basic, translational, and clinical research that advances our understanding of pancreatic tumor biology and paves the way for more effective interventions.
We are pleased to invite studies dissecting cellular and molecular mechanisms that shape immune exclusion, immune exhaustion, stromal barriers, cytokine networks, and tumor-derived suppressive signals in pancreatic cancer. We also seek studies that explore metabolic vulnerabilities such as ferroptosis, autophagy, redox homeostasis, nutrient scavenging pathways, and stromal–tumor metabolic crosstalk. Work identifying metabolic targets that sensitize tumors to immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or targeted agents is of particular interest. We also invite contributions focused on the molecular drivers of dissemination, dormancy, and colonization, as well as therapeutic strategies designed to eliminate or reprogram metastatic progenitors. We also encourage submissions reporting novel models for studying pancreatic cancer, including advanced organoid systems, co-culture platforms, engineered stromal models, and patient-derived xenografts.
This Special Issue aims to assemble a comprehensive and forward-looking collection of studies that deepen mechanistic insight and drive translational advances.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) immune cell dysfunction; stromal barriers; cytokine-signaling or chemokine pathways; cellular and molecular interactions within the TME; stromal remodeling; extracellular matrix biology and tumor–stromal communication; metabolic vulnerabilities and pathway targeting; mechanisms driving dissemination, dormancy, and colonization; organoids; co-culture systems; and microenvironment-mimicking platforms.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Jelena Grahovac
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- pancreatic cancer
- metastasis
- tumor microenvironment
- tumor metabolism
- tumor immunity
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