Ferroptosis: New Strategies and Ideas for the Treatment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy that affects the digestive tract and has a low 5-year survival rate of lower than 15%. Owing to its genetic mutation and metabolic complexity, pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat with surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The predominant modality of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), primarily attributed to mutations in KRAS gene. Ferroptosis, an iron-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS)-elevated nonapoptotic cell death caused by lipid peroxidation, is distinct from any other known type of cell death. Ferroptosis is closely related to the occurrence and progression of different types of cancers, including PDAC. Previous research has demonstrated that ferroptosis not only triggers cell death in PDAC and hampers tumor growth but also enhances the effectiveness of antitumor medications. In our review, we mainly focus on the core mechanism of ferroptosis, reveal its interrelationship with PDAC, and illustrate the progress of ferroptosis in different treatment methods of PDAC.