Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly invasive malignant tumor associated with significant mortality rates, primarily due to challenges in early diagnosis, high invasiveness, and pronounced drug resistance. In recent years, N6-methyladenosine (m6A), one of the most abundant RNA modifications in eukaryotic cells, has been shown to play a critical role in various RNA processes, including alternative splicing, maturation, stability, translation and degradation. m6A is dynamically and reversibly regulated by its methyltransferases, demethylases and m6A-binding proteins, which have been reported to significantly influence the development and progression of various cancers, including PC. We review the latest advancements in m6A regulators and their roles in PC, and introduce the mechanism and signaling pathways of m6A factors affecting PC occurrence and development. Furthermore, we summarize the potential applications of m6A regulators in improving drug resistance and immunotherapy efficacy, as well as the therapeutic promise of small-molecule inhibitors targeting m6A-related proteins, to provide innovative methods and strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.