title: Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 6 expression in pancreatic cancer is an independent prognostic factor indicating better overall survival.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The family of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GalNAc-Ts) is responsible for the altered glycosylation in cancer. The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical significance of two isoforms, GalNAc-T6 and -T3, and their correlation with the prognosis of pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry was used to analyse GalNAc-T6 and -T3 expressions in 70 clinicopathologically characterised pancreatic cancer cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive expressions of GalNAc-T6 and -T3 were immunohistochemically identified in 51% (36 of 70) and in 77% (54 of 70) of patients, respectively. A close relationship was noted between GalNAc-T6 positive expression and pathological well/moderate differentiated type (P=0.001), small tumour size (P=0.044), absence of vascular invasion (P=0.009), and low stage of the American Joint Committee on Cancer systems (P=0.043). The expression of GalNAc-T3 significantly correlated with good differentiation (P=0.001), but not with other clinicopathologic features. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that GalNAc-T6 expression was an independent prognosis indicator for the disease, whereas GalNAc-T3 expression had no impact on clinical outcome, even though 33 of 36 GalNAc-T6-positive cases also had a positive expression of GalNAc-T3 (P=0.001, r=0.356).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both GalNAc-T6 and -T3 expressions correlated significantly with tumour differentiation, whereas only GalNAc-T6 expression predicted prognosis in pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inenaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: K-Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimajiri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasaguri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017350:N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferases / Q000032:analysis*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D000097763:Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase
chemical_list: D017350:N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferases; D000097763:Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase; C121529:UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 6