The disclosure herein relates to the novel finding that pattern recognition receptor activation is central to pancreatic cancer progression, and provides antagonists of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including the TLRs 4, 7, and 9, and the CLR dectin-1, for treatment and prevention of pancreatic cancer and pancreatic inflammation. The inventors have discovered that cancer development and progression can be prevented by pattern recognition receptor inhibition, a powerful finding with important clinical and therapeutic implications.