PIM1 and cancer: Downregulation of PIM-1 expression was shown to cause cell cycle arrest, increase apoptosis and decrease gemcitabine and intrinsic irradiation resistance in pancreatic cancer cell lines [6, 7]; however, the effects of PIM-1 on cell sensitivity to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) and on cancer stem cells in pancreatic cancer remain unclear.