Pancreatic cancer: Current research and future directions

Despite the survival rate advancements in different types of cancer in the last 40 years, the perspective for pancreatic cancer patients has seen no substantial changes. Indeed, the five year survival rate remains around 5%. Nevertheless, in the last decade we have witnessed an increased interest in pancreatic cancer biology and this has produced a substantial increment in our knowledge on pancreatic cancer progression. The big challenge is now to translate this knowledge in better outcomes for patients. The aim of this review is to describe the latest discoveries and advancements in pancreatic cancer research and to discuss future directions.