The CA19-9 and Sialyl-TRA Antigens Define Separate Subpopulations of Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Abstract

Molecular markers to detect subtypes of cancer cells could facilitate more effective treatment. We recently identified a carbohydrate antigen, named sTRA, that is as accurate a serological biomarker of pancreatic cancer as the cancer antigen CA19-9. We hypothesized that the cancer cells producing sTRA are a different subpopulation than those producing CA19-9. The sTRA glycan was significantly elevated in tumor tissue relative to adjacent pancreatic tissue in 3 separate tissue microarrays covering 38 patients. The morphologies of the cancer cells varied in association with glycan expression. Cells with dual staining of both markers tended to be in well-to-moderately differentiated glands with nuclear polarization, but exclusive sTRA staining was present in small clusters of cells with poor differentiation and large vacuoles, or in small and ill-defined glands. Patients with higher dual-staining of CA19-9 and sTRA had statistically longer time-to-progression after surgery. Patients with short time-to-progression (<2 years) had either low levels of the dual-stained cells or high levels of single-stained cells, and such patterns differentiated short from long time-to-progression with 90% (27/30) sensitivity and 80% (12/15) specificity. The sTRA and CA19-9 glycans define separate subpopulations of cancer cells and could together have value for classifying subtypes of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

• Authors: Daniel Barnett, Ying Liu, Katie Partyka, Ying Huang, Huiyuan Tang, Galen Hostetter, Randall E Brand, Aatur D Singhi, Richard R Drake, Brian B Haab
• Journal: Scientific reports (Sci Rep) Vol. 7 Issue 1 Pg. 4020 (06 22 2017) ISSN: 2045-2322 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 28642461 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antigens, Neoplasm
• Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate
• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Polysaccharides
• carbohydrate antigen 199, human

Topics

• Animals
• Antigens, Neoplasm
• Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate (blood, metabolism)
• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Disease Models, Animal
• Disease Progression
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Heterografts
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Mice
• Neoplasm Grading
• Pancreatic Neoplasms (diagnosis, immunology, metabolism)
• Polysaccharides (metabolism)
• Prognosis
• Reproducibility of Results
• Pancreatic Neoplasms