Mechanistic investigations revealed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) present within the PDAC microenvironment orchestrated the enzymatic liberation of collagenase, which subsequently mediated: proteolytic cleavage of tumor-promoting collagenous matrices, abrogation of integrin α3β1-FAK-mediated oncogenic signaling transduction, and mitigation of immunosuppressive tumor niche characteristics. This evidence concerns the gene PTK2 and neoplasm.