Proteomics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Current Advances and Translational Perspectives

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies, with a median overall survival below one year in most clinical settings and limited options for early detection. Although comprehensive genomic profiling has established the dominant mutational landscape, including near-universal KRAS alterations and frequent alterations in TP53, CDKN2A and SMAD4, tumour phenotypes are ultimately executed at the protein level. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has therefore become a central platform for PDAC research, enabling quantitative assessment of signalling pathway activity, characterisation of the tumour microenvironment, and identification of circulating biomarkers that may reflect tumour biology more directly than individual genomic alterations.