FOXM1 regulates platelet-induced anoikis resistance in pancreatic cancer cells

Anoikis resistance is a prerequisite for circulating tumor cells (CTC) to survive in the blood stream. Platelets can interact with these CTCs and protect them from cytokine and immune cell-mediated cell death. Whether platelets can regulate anoikis resistance by controlling tumor cell intrinsic gene expression changes has not been studied in pancreatic cancer cells in detail before. Here, we identified FOXM1 as a differentially regulated gene between attached and detached cells whose expression was controlled by platelets. Manipulating FOXM1 expression using FOXM1 knockdown and overexpression or by inhibiting its function using a small molecular inhibitor highlighted the role of FOXM1 in controlling platelet-mediated anoikis resistance in pancreatic cancer cells. Hence, targeting FOXM1 might be a novel therapeutic strategy in pancreatic cancer patients, especially in those with thrombocytosis.