Tumour epithelial vimentin expression and outcome of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Tumour epithelial vimentin expression is a marker of mesenchymal differentiation and may be a useful marker of carcinomas with more aggressive behaviour. The aim of this study was to determine the extent and prognostic significance of vimentin expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas.

METHODS:

Vimentin expression was detected by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays of surgically resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas from 387 patients. The percentage of vimentin-immunolabelled neoplastic cells was correlated with outcome and with clinico-pathological factors using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox multivariate survival models.

RESULTS:

In all, 45% of primary pancreatic adenocarcinomas contained neoplastic cells that expressed vimentin, and in 27.5% of the cancers >10% of cells expressed vimentin. Vimentin expression was correlated with poor histological differentiation. By both uni- and multivariate survival analysis, neoplastic vimentin expression (P<0.01, HR 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.14-2.04) was an indicator of a shorter postsurgical survival independent of other clinico-pathological variables.

CONCLUSION:

The presence of vimentin-expressing tumour epithelial cells in surgically resected pancreatic adenocarcinomas independently predicted a shorter postsurgical survival.

• Authors: A Handra-Luca, S-M Hong, K Walter, C Wolfgang, R Hruban, M Goggins
• Journal: British journal of cancer (Br J Cancer) Vol. 104 Issue 8 Pg. 1296-302 (Apr 12 2011) ISSN: 1532-1827 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21448168 (Publication Type: Evaluation Study, Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Vimentin

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biomarkers, Tumor (metabolism)
• Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal (diagnosis, metabolism, mortality, surgery)
• Epithelium (metabolism, pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Pancreatectomy
• Pancreatic Neoplasms (diagnosis, metabolism, mortality, surgery)
• Prognosis
• Survival Analysis
• Tissue Array Analysis
• Vimentin (metabolism)