IgE-Based Therapeutic Combination Enhances Antitumor Response in Preclinical Models of Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents 3% of all cancer cases and 7% of all cancer deaths in the United States. Late diagnosis and inadequate response to standard chemotherapies contribute to an unfavorable prognosis and an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 10% in PDAC. Despite recent advances in tumor immunology, tumor-induced immunosuppression attenuates the immunotherapy response in PDAC.

Preclinical Models for Studying the Impact of Macrophages on Cancer Cachexia.

Cancer-associated cachexia is defined by loss of weight and muscle mass, and by the potential loss of adipose tissue accompanied by insulin resistance and increased resting energy expenditure. Cachexia is most prevalent in pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. While various factors interact to induce cachexia, the precise mechanisms underlying this clinical condition are not fully understood.

Macrophages potentiate STAT3 signaling in skeletal muscles and regulate pancreatic cancer cachexia.

Incidence of cachexia is highly prevalent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); advanced disease stage directly correlates with decreased muscle and fat mass in PDAC patients. The pancreatic tumor microenvironment is central to the release of systemic factors that govern lipolysis, proteolysis, and muscle and fat degeneration leading to the cachectic phenotype in cancer patients. The current study explores the role of macrophages, a key immunosuppressive player in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, in regulating cancer cachexia.