Rapamycin-Induced Endothelial Cell Death and Tumor Vessel Thrombosis Potentiate Cytotoxic Therapy against Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Our data suggest a novel mechanism whereby rapamycin targets pancreatic tumor endothelium for destruction and thrombosis. We propose that rapamycin-based vascular targeting not only reduces tumor vascularization, it decreases the number of proliferating tumor cells to be destroyed by gemcitabine, thus introducing a new, clinically feasible strategy against pancreatic cancer.