Inflammatory cues as modulators of early pancreatic carcinogenesis (InCuPanC)
Chronic inflammation is an important risk factor for numerous malignancies including pancreatic cancer. In established pancreatic tumors, the impact of the inflammatory tumor microenvironment has been extensively studied during recent years. However, knowledge about the molecular circuits triggering inflammation-induced early pancreatic carcinogenesis is still very limited. Therefore, this Research Training Group (RTG) aims to systematically decipher the influence of different inflammatory cues on the transition from preinvasive precursor lesions to invasive cancers during early pancreatic carcinogenesis.
![The figure schematically depicts an inconspicuous pancreatic tissue from which an invasive pancreatic carcinoma emerges by exposure to genetic, metabolic and exogenous triggers of chronic inflammation. The transition from preneoplasia to invasive PDAC is influenced by inflammatory modulators.](/fileadmin/_processed_/4/0/csm_figure01_d31b56b87a.jpg)