Scientists at the NYU Cancer Institute are seeking to delineate the cellular and molecular basis of pancreatic cancer and the role of the immune response in its initiation and progression. NYUCI researchers have a strong interest in exploring the link between chronic pancreatic inflammation (pancreatitis) and pancreatic cancer.

Investigators at the NYUCI are also studying the mechanisms underlying the spread (metastasis) of pancreatic cancer to the liver. They have found that immune suppressive cells proliferate in the liver early in pancreatic cancer development. Targeting these cells holds potential for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy against liver metastases.

Patients with pancreatic cancer have access to several clinical trials at the NYUCI evaluating new drugs for pancreatic cancer and new combinations of existing treatments. Some therapies target specific molecular pathways which are overexpressed in pancreatic tumors.

• Investigators are assessing drugs which target the "hedgehog" pathway, an embryonic pathway which has been shown to be aberrantly overexpressed in most pancreatic tumors.
• Doctors are assessing drugs such as erlotinib and gemcitabine given before surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis. They will also explore the molecular characteristics of each patient's tumor and see how each patient's cancer responds to such neoadjuvant treatment.
• Radiation oncologists are studying novel ways to deliver radiation therapy to patients with pancreatic cancer.

For information about clinical trials for pancreatic cancer at the NYU Cancer Institute, please call the research nurse at 212-731-5393.