Prognostic significance of AGR2 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
The human Anterior Gradient-2 (AGR2) is strongly upregulated in various human cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC), but its prognostic value in PDAC has not yet been studied.



We analysed 19 microdissected PDAC cases at the mRNA level, and also 148 cases at the protein level by immunohistochemistry based on tissue microarray, using a monoclonal AGR2 antibody, and statistical analyses were applied to test for prognostic associations.



Overexpression of AGR2 mRNA was found to be elevated in most pancreatic cell lines and in microdissected pancreatic cancer compared to microdissected normal ductal cells. AGR2 protein was expressed in 109/148 (73.7%) of PDAC, with a higher expression in female patients (p=0.040), whereas no significant associations with other clinical-pathological parameters were found. A prognostic value of AGR2 could not be demonstrated in univariate analyses.



Although a prognostic value of AGR2 seems unlikely, further studies are warranted to investigate the biological role of AGR2 in pancreatic adenocarcinomas.
Riener
Marc-Oliver
MO
Institute of Surgical Pathology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Pilarsky
Christian
C
Gerhardt
Josefine
J
Grützmann
Robert
R
Fritzsche
Florian R
FR
Bahra
Marcus
M
Weichert
Wilko
W
Kristiansen
Glen
G
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000378:metabolism; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D042282:Microdissection; D009088:Mucoproteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
C502296:AGR2 protein, human; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D009088:Mucoproteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger