Pancreatic cancer is a deadly malignancy associated with rapid progression and poor prognosis. Perineural invasion (PNI) in pancreatic cancer is one of the most common characteristics of this disease, with incidence of nerve invasion between 53.3% and 90%. PNI is also associated with disease recurrence and pain. Despite research efforts, the detailed mechanisms underlying PNI in pancreatic cancer remains unknown. The main factors of PNI in pancreatic cancer will be introduced in the following: 1. The anatomy of the pancreas nerve: The cancer cells along the blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, peripheral nerve gap and perineurium to Invasion. 2. Adhesion molecules in PNI: Neural cell adhesion molecules. 3. Growth factor: For example, nerve growth factor and tyrosine kinase receptor A; Neurotrophic factor and its receptor, etc. 4. The others: Such as matrix metalloproteinases, integrin. A neurite growth promoting factor and neuritrophic factor known to have a role in the pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer by inducing neuritis growth is midkine. In this review, we discuss the role of midkine and other growth and neurotrophic factors on the pathophysiology of PNI in pancreatic cancer.
Keywords: Midkine (MK); MtK; peripheral invasion (PNI) in pancreatic cancer.