Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Ultrasound-Guided Orthotopic Implantation of Murine Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
06:21

Ultrasound-Guided Orthotopic Implantation of Murine Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Published on: November 19, 2019

Silencing the killers: paracrine immune suppression in pancreatic cancer

Adrienne D Cox1, Kenneth P Olive

  • 1Departments of Radiation Oncology and Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. adrienne_cox@med.unc.edu

Cancer Cell
|June 16, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Pancreatic cancers suppress the immune system. Tumor cells secrete GM-CSF, recruiting myeloid-derived suppressor cells to block killer T cells and hinder anti-tumor immunity.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Cancer Biology

Background:

  • Pancreatic cancers exhibit significant inflammatory cell infiltration and immune suppression.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of immune evasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is critical.

Discussion:

  • Bayne et al. and Pylayeva-Gupta et al. identify Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) as a key mediator in PDAC immune suppression.
  • KRAS-driven tumor cells secrete GM-CSF, which attracts myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) into the tumor stroma.

Key Insights:

  • GM-CSF recruits MDSCs to the pancreatic tumor microenvironment.
  • The influx of MDSCs abrogates the immune clearance of tumor cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs).
  • This mechanism highlights a critical pathway for immune evasion in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer.

Outlook:

  • Targeting GM-CSF or MDSC recruitment could represent a novel therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer.
  • Further research into the interplay between tumor-secreted factors and immune cell infiltration is warranted.
  • Developing immunotherapies that overcome MDSC-mediated suppression may improve patient outcomes.

More Related Videos

Flow Cytometry-Based Isolation and Therapeutic Evaluation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in a Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer07:55

Flow Cytometry-Based Isolation and Therapeutic Evaluation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in a Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer

Published on: January 17, 2025

Generation of Orthotopic Pancreatic Tumors and Ex vivo Characterization of Tumor-Infiltrating T Cell Cytotoxicity06:16

Generation of Orthotopic Pancreatic Tumors and Ex vivo Characterization of Tumor-Infiltrating T Cell Cytotoxicity

Published on: December 7, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...