Pancreatic
adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still represents a devastating disease associated with a very limited survival. Novel
biomarkers allowing an early diagnosis as well as an optimal selection of suitable treatment options for individual patients are urgently needed to improve the dismal outcome of PDAC patients. Recently, alterations of
Kisspeptin serum levels, a member of the
adipokine family, were described in various types of
cancers. However, the role of circulating
Kisspeptin as a
biomarker in PDAC patients is poorly defined. In this study, we measured
Kisspeptin serum levels in a cohort of 128 prospectively enrolled PDAC patients undergoing surgical resection as well as 36 healthy controls.
Kisspeptin concentrations were elevated in PDAC patients compared to control samples. Nevertheless,
Kisspeptin serum levels were independent of
tumor-related factors such as the
tumor grading, TNM stage, or clinical features such as the ECOG performance status. Finally, in our analysis, neither preoperative nor postoperative
Kisspeptin levels turned out as a significant predictor of overall survival after
tumor resection. In conclusion, our data suggest that
Kisspeptin concentrations are altered in PDAC patients but do not allow to predict patients' outcome after resection of PDAC.