Prevailing Role of Contact Guidance in Intrastromal T-cell Trapping in Human Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

The excessive desmoplasia in PDAC promotes T-cell migration by contact guidance, which abrogates tumor cell-directed movement. Furthermore, dense collagen networks represent a physical barrier, additionally rearranging T-cell distribution to favor tumor stroma. These mechanisms are mainly responsible for intrastromal T-cell trapping in pancreatic cancer and may hinder the development of T-cell-based immunotherapies.