Treatment resistance in pancreatic and biliary tract cancer: molecular and clinical pharmacology perspectives Toledo, Belén Deiana, Chiara Scianò, Fabio Brandi, Giovanni Marchal Corrales, Juan Antonio Perán, Macarena Giovannetti, Elisa Biliary tract cancer Chemoresistance Chemotherapy Introduction: Treatment resistance poses a significant obstacle in oncology, especially in biliary tract cancer (BTC) and pancreatic cancer (PC). Current therapeutic options include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Resistance to these treatments may arise due to diverse molecular mechanisms, such as genetic and epigenetic modifications, altered drug metabolism and efflux, and changes in the tumor microenvironment. Identifying and overcoming these mechanisms is a major focus of research: strategies being explored include combination therapies, modulation of the tumor microenvironment, and personalized approaches. Areas covered: We provide a current overview and discussion of the most relevant mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy, target therapy, and immunotherapy in both BTC and PC. Furthermore, we compare the different strategies that are being implemented to overcome these obstacles. Expert opinion: So far there is no unified theory on drug resistance and progress is limited. To overcome this issue, individualized patient approaches, possibly through liquid biopsies or single-cell transcriptome studies, are suggested, along with the potential use of artificial intelligence, to guide effective treatment strategies. Furthermore, we provide insights into what we consider the most promising areas of research, and we speculate on the future of managing treatment resistance to improve patient outcomes. 2024-05-27T06:54:42Z 2024-05-27T06:54:42Z 2024-03-15 journal article Belén Toledo, Chiara Deiana, Fabio Scianò, Giovanni Brandi, Juan Antonio Marchal, Macarena Perán & Elisa Giovannetti (15 Mar 2024): Treatment resistance in pancreatic and biliary tract cancer: molecular and clinical pharmacology perspectives, Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, DOI: 10.1080/17512433.2024.2319340 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/92081 10.1080/17512433.2024.2319340 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Taylor & Francis Group