title: Overexpression of pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP) in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: Pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP) is almost absent in normal pancreas, but is strongly induced in acute pancreatitis. PAP mRNA is also expressed in cancer cells, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. However, the clinicopathological significance of PAP in human pancreatic cancer is not clear. We examined PAP expression in pancreatic tissues from individuals with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using immunohistochemistry. PAP was overexpressed in 79% (30 of 38) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, 19% (7 of 36) of chronic pancreatitis, and 29% (2 of 7) of mucinous cystadenoma. PAP was found in malignant ductular structures in pancreatic carcinomas as well as in benign proliferating ductules and acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis. It was not expressed in normal pancreas. The incidence of PAP overexpression was significantly higher in pancreatic cancer than in the other pancreatic diseases (P < 0.01). PAP overexpression was significantly correlated with nodal involvement, distant metastasis (P < 0.05), and short survival (P < 0.01) in pancreatic cancer. These results suggest that overexpression of PAP in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma indicates tumor aggressiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Min-Jue
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Motoo
authors.forename: Juan Lucio
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Iovanna
authors.forename: Shi-Bing
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Koushiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtsubo
authors.forename: Fujitsugu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sawabu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000073718:Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D000073718:Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins; C000612141:REG3A protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger