In a new study published in Nature, researchers have investigated the role of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) in pancreatic cancer. It has previously been shown that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumours are infiltrated by TAMs linked to pathogenic inflammation. “We were particularly interested in understanding how inflammation promotes pancreatic cancer, and what was the role of macrophages in this process,” say Nicoletta Caronni and Renato Ostuni, corresponding authors of the study.