Summary:. In this issue of Cancer Discovery, Sans and colleagues identify the transcription factor NKX6-2 as a principal element in maintaining the low-grade gastric cell phenotype of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) in the pancreas. Their discoveries in patient cohorts and dissection in animal models provide a novel molecular understanding underpinning IPMN differentiation, with implications for risk stratification and therapeutic intervention in pancreatic cancer.See related article by Sans et al., p. 1844 (7).