Interestingly, KRAS‐mutant colon cancer cells appear to show a greater dependency on PLK1 for survival than KRAS‐mutant lung and pancreatic tumor cells, as single treatment with PLK1 inhibitors (e.g., BI2536) is sufficient to induce high levels of ROS and activation of the p38/JNK/E2F1 axis. This evidence concerns the gene MAPK8 and pancreatic neoplasm.