Moreover, combination treatment with CuB and SCH772984 significantly promoted pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis by simultaneously suppressing EGFR, STAT3, ERK, Akt and S6 activities, followed by an increase in the pro-apoptotic protein Bim and a decrease in anti-apoptotic proteins Mcl-1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl and survivin. Here, MCL1 is linked to familial pancreatic carcinoma.