AKT1 and pancreatic neoplasm: It can be activated by epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor, all of which are known to be overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, as well as through the PI3K/AKT pathway (Friess et al., 1996; Schneider and Schmid, 2003; Hezel et al., 2006; Koorstra et al., 2008).