TLR7 inhibition: A novel strategy for pancreatic cancer treatment?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis: For local disease, the 5-y survival rate is approximately 20% and median survival in locally advanced disease is only about 10 mo. Carcinogenesis is associated with chronic inflammation showing that innate immunity can be a double-edged sword. Here, we discuss recent findings of Ochi et al. in The Journal of Clinical Investigation who described a novel role for TLR7 in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer through interference with cell cycle regulation and by activation of multiple cell signaling pathways. Of note, inhibition of TLR7 signaling in a mouse p48Cre;Kras(G12D) pancreatic cancer model protected against tumor progression thus paving the road for TLR-blocking strategies to combat tumors.