Gene Expression Profiling in Long and Short-Term Survivors after Resection for Pancreatic Cancer Reveals New Insights into Prognosis and Treatment - Abstract
Background: The ability to identify patients that have disease progression soon after surgical resection could guide treatment as well as aid in the development of novel targeted therapies. This study correlates gene expression and overall survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Methods: Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with definitive surgery without neoadjuvant therapy were grouped into short-term (<10 months, n=13) and long-term (>20 months, n=11) survivors. RNA was extracted from snap-frozen tissues, and global gene expression was examined. Pathway analysis was also performed.
Results: The mean overall survival in each group was 7.5 and 32.0 months. We identified 163 genes that were differentially expressed between patients who survived <10 months and >20 months after definitive surgery. Many of the genes identified have known prognostic importance; however, less than half of these genes have been reported to be associated with survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pathway analysis identified expression targets of SP1, JUN, and EGF to be highly regulated based upon differences in overall survival.
Conclusion: In pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients who have undergone definitive resection, we have identified multiple genes associated with inferior
survival. Many of the genes reported in this study have not previously been linked to overall survival in this patient population.