Histo-molecular oncogenesis of pancreatic cancer: From precancerous lesions to invasive ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal malignancy, whose precursor lesions are pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasm, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm, and mucinous cystic neoplasm. To better understand the biology of pancreatic cancer, it is fundamental to know its precursors and to study the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Each of these precursors displays peculiar histological features, as well as specific molecular alterations. Starting from such pre-invasive lesions, this review aims at summarizing the most important aspects of carcinogenesis of pancreatic cancer, with a specific focus on the recent advances and the future perspectives of the research on this lethal tumor type.