Neoadjuvant Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2026 | Viewed by 87
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Pancreatic cancers, including adenocarcinoma and its subtypes, remain among the most dreadful malignancies, plagued by limited innovations, typically late diagnoses, and significant heterogeneity. The incidence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is rising globally and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 2040, underscoring the urgent need for novel approaches in the coming decades.
The current gold standard for treating PDAC involves a combination of carcinologic tumor resection followed by polychemotherapy regimens such as FOLFIRINOX (FFX) or Gemcitabine plus Nab-Paclitaxel (GnP). However, only 20% of patients present with upfront resectable disease, and nearly 40% are unable to undergo adjuvant chemotherapy due to postoperative complications. Recent advances in imaging and the establishment of international guidelines have well defined non-metastatic but non-upfront-resectable pancreatic cancers—classified as borderline or locally advanced—and these specific stages are treated with upfront neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT), followed by surgery when feasible to enhance R0 margins and survival.
Recent randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of chemotherapy-first approaches in resectable PDAC, but the optimal selection criteria for patients best suited to this strategy remain unclear. In neoadjuvant treatment strategies, carefully choosing the most effective induction therapy and minimizing side effects are critical to ensuring effectiveness without delaying or compromising surgical intervention. A key knowledge gap in neoadjuvant treatment lies in the absence of validated biomarkers to guide NCT decision making.
Finally, novel therapeutics emerging from the metastatic setting, including KRAS inhibitors, PRMT5-MTA inhibitors for MTAP-deficient tumors, and Claudin 18.2-targeting agents, hold promise for early-stage disease and may redefine treatment paradigms.
For this Special Issue of Cancers, we invite original research and review articles that highlight recent advancements and future challenges in improving neoadjuvant strategies for pancreatic cancer management.
Dr. Brice Chanez
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- induction treatment
- biomarkers
- chemotherapy
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