Difluoromethylornithine Combined with a Polyamine Transport Inhibitor Is Effective against Gemcitabine Resistant Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly chemo-resistant and has an extremely poor patient prognosis, with a survival rate at five years of <8%. There remains an urgent need for innovative treatments. Targeting polyamine biosynthesis through inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) has had mixed clinical success due to tumor escape via an undefined transport system, which imports exogenous polyamines and sustains intracellular polyamine pools.