The small-molecule drug homoharringtonine targets HSF1 to suppress pancreatic cancer progression.

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), an essential transcription factor for stress response, is exploited by various tumors to facilitate their initiation, progression, invasion, and migration. Amplification of HSF1 is widely regarded as an indicator in predicting cancer severity, the likelihood of treatment failure and reduced patient survival. Notably, HSF1 is markedly amplified in 40% of pancreatic cancer (PC), which typically have limited treatment options.