SPARC and cancer: More than any other solid cancer, PDAC is characterised by abundant tumour stroma with activated cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that maintain a dense biophysical meshwork around neoplastic ductal cells consisting of components such as hyaluronic acid, fibronectin, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) and collagens.6 Besides the complex biochemical cancer-stroma crosstalk,7–9 the distinct stromal architecture has been postulated to create physical barriers for drug delivery,10 and sparked a new era of stromal depletion approaches.11