Theranostics 2021; 11(18):9022-9037. doi:10.7150/thno.60350 This issue Cite
Review
1. Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands.
2. Pharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands.
3. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Faculty of Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands.
4. Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Faculty of Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands.
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most fatal types of cancer due to the relatively late diagnosis and the limited therapeutic options. Current treatment regimens mainly comprise the cytotoxic agents gemcitabine and FOLFIRINOX. These compounds have shown limited efficacy and severe side effects, highlighting the necessity for earlier detection and the development of more effective, and better-tolerated treatments. Although targeted therapies are promising for the treatment of several types of cancer, identification of suitable targets for early diagnosis and targeted therapy of PDAC is challenging. Interestingly, several transmembrane proteins are overexpressed in PDAC cells that show low expression in healthy pancreas and may therefore serve as potential targets for treatment and/or diagnostic purposes. In this review we describe the 11 most promising transmembrane proteins, carefully selected after a thorough literature search. Favorable features and potential applications of each target, as well as the results of the preclinical and clinical studies conducted in the past ten years, are discussed in detail.
Keywords: PDAC, transmembrane proteins, targeted therapy, diagnosis