Abstract 446: Reciprocal paracrine signaling between epithelial and stromal cells alters the pancreatic tumor microenvironment

Despite considerable clinical and basic research efforts, the 5-year survival rate of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a dismal 6 percent in the United States. Much of the mortality of the disease is a result, in part, of the unique microenvironment of PDAC tumors. The stroma, a heterogeneous population including fibroblasts, immune cells, vasculature and extracellular matrix, comprises the bulk of the PDAC tumor volume. We and...