Yuan Hao, Zhang Yufeng, Liu Fengyuan, Wu Yang, Huang Xumin, Liu Xinjian, Jiang Luyang, Xiao Bin, Zhu Yi, Chen Qun, Wu Pengfei, Jiang Kuirong
Pancreas Centre, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Pancreas Institute, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Cancer Lett. 2025 Mar 31;613:217515. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217515. Epub 2025 Jan 31.
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an extremely aggressive malignancy, with a 5-year survival rate of only 13 %. Perineural invasion (PNI) is a hallmark pathological feature of PC and is observed in almost all cases. Accordingly, PC ranks highly among solid tumors in terms of PNI incidence. The interaction between PC and the nervous system plays a pivotal role in tumor growth and metastasis. In PC, PNI is a key driver of local tumor progression, distant metastasis, and poor prognosis. Clarification of tumor-nerve crosstalk and the underlying molecular mechanisms is needed to facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies to slow PC progression and alleviate PNI-associated symptoms. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the manifestations and characteristics of PNI in PC, summarize the molecular networks that regulate PNI, examine the relationship between PNI and the tumor microenvironment, and discuss the current research challenges and future directions in this critical area.
胰腺癌（PC）是一种极具侵袭性的恶性肿瘤，5年生存率仅为13%。神经周围侵犯（PNI）是PC的一个标志性病理特征，几乎在所有病例中都可观察到。因此，在实体瘤中，PC的PNI发生率很高。PC与神经系统之间的相互作用在肿瘤生长和转移中起着关键作用。在PC中，PNI是局部肿瘤进展、远处转移及预后不良的关键驱动因素。需要阐明肿瘤与神经的相互作用及潜在分子机制，以促进新治疗策略的开发，减缓PC进展并缓解PNI相关症状。在本综述中，我们全面概述了PC中PNI的表现和特征，总结了调节PNI的分子网络，研究了PNI与肿瘤微环境之间的关系，并讨论了这一关键领域当前的研究挑战和未来方向。
