title: Clinicopathological significance of galectin-3 expression in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Galectin-3, a member of the beta-galactoside-binding lectin family, has multiple biological functions including cell-cell interactions and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion, cellular proliferation, cellular differentiation, and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of galectin-3 expression to clinicopathological findings and patient prognosis in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined galectin-3 expression in 104 surgically resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases with stages I through IV using immunohistochemistry and investigated the relationship of it to overall survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were divided into two groups: a low expression group, where <60% of tumor cells were positive; and a high expression group, where > or =60% of tumor cells were positive. Cases in the low expression group had a significant tendency to be at later stages, to have distant metastasis, and to have less differentiated tumors, compared with cases in the high expression group (P = 0.001 for stage, P = 0.001 for metastasis, and P = 0.006 for differentiation). Postoperative overall survival was worse in the low galectin-3 expression group than in the high galectin-3 expression group (P = 0.004). Multivariate analysis showed that the risk ratio of prognosis was 2.06 among patients in the low galectin-3 expression group compared with the high galectin-3 expression group (P = 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased expression of galectin-3 was associated with advanced stage, tumor de-differentiation, and metastasis in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Galectin-3 expression might be a useful prognostic marker for survival in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamura
authors.forename: Michiie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ino
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Tomoo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosuge
authors.forename: Yasuto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hisahiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sekihara
authors.forename: Setsuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirohashi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015153:Blotting, Western; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3