title: Expression Patterns of Growth and Survival Genes with Prognostic Implications in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mRNA expression pattern of growth- and survival-related genes and assess their prognostic significance in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  
  In total, 98 patients were included in this retrospective translational research study and were evaluated for Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutational status, and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1), AKT serine/threonine kinase 2 (AKT2), AKT serine/threonine kinase 3 (AKT3), cyclin D1 (CCND1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), hepatocellular growth factor receptor (MET), avian myelomatosis viral oncogene homolog (MYC), nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKb1), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (FRAP1) genes mRNA expression. Among these patients, 73 received first-line gemcitabine combined with erlotinib (N=57) or gefitinib (N=16).
  
  
  
  KRAS mutation did not correlate with mRNA gene expression. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering according to mRNA gene expression successfully distinguished four prognostically distinct groups of tumors. Overexpression of all genes was associated with best prognosis, while suppression or heterogeneous expression patterns of the examined genes were associated with expression patterns of growth- and survival-related genes, classifying pancreatic tumors into distinct groups with possibly different outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Section, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece pectasid@otenet.gr hecogoff@otenet.gr.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pectasides
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.|Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kotoula
authors.affiliation: Oncology Section, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papaxoinis
authors.affiliation: Health Data Specialists Ltd., Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Zoi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Alexopoulou
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Konstantopoulio Agia Olga General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dervenis
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, Agii Anargiri Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Epaminontas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samantas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Konstantopoulio Agia Olga General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Kleo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Papaparaskeva
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Elpida
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Charalambous
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Chrysoula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gkakou
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Konstantopoulio Agia Olga General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agalianos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.|Translational Research Section, Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group, Data Office, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantine T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Kalogeras
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Ioannina University Hospital, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pentheroudakis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fountzilas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: EGFR; KRAS; Pancreatic cancer; hierarchical clustering analysis; mRNA expression; prognosis