Cytokine network: new targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer.

Increasing evidence has shown that cytokines have a role in tumor biology. The role of chemokines in tumor biology is important because these peptides may influence tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. In this review, we demonstrated the role of cytokines (Interleukin-1α, hepatocyte growth factor, Interleukin-8, stromal cell-derived factor-1 and CXC-chemokines/CXCR2 biological axis) in pancreatic cancer angiogenesis, especially from the standpoint of the interaction between tumor and its microenvironments. The cytokines are intimately related with cancer angiogenesis. Blocking these cytokines could attenuate pancreatic cancer associated angiogenesis and further considered as a novel anti-angiogenic target in pancreatic cancer.