Active surveillance in metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: A 20-year single-institutional experience.

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are heterogeneous and indolent; systemic therapy is not essential for every patient with metastatic PanNET. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines state that delaying treatment is an option for PanNET with distant metastasis, if the patient has stable disease. However, specific factors that influence surveillance were not mentioned.

Haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte and platelet predicts postoperative survival in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Systemic inflammation and nutrition status play an important role in cancer metastasis. The combined index of hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP), consisting of haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocytes, and platelets, is considered as a novel marker to reflect both systemic inflammation and nutrition status. However, no studies have investigated the relationship between HALP and survival of patients with pancreatic cancer following radical resection.

SRPX2 and RAB31 are effective prognostic biomarkers in pancreatic cancer.

: SRPX2 and RAB31 play important roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis; however, their prognostic value in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential interactions and effects of SRPX2 and RAB31 on the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. : The expression of SRPX2 and RAB31 in pancreatic tumor tissues and cells was evaluated through database mining of the Oncomine, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, and validated the results through immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot in our clinical database.

Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 mediates aerobic glycolysis suppression of sirtuin 3 in pancreatic cancer.

Aim: To uncover the roles of tumor-promoting gene in aerobic glycolysis regulation and shed light on the underlying molecular mechanism.

Methods: Endogenous zinc finger E-box binding homeobox-1 (ZEB1) was silenced using a lentivirus-mediated method, and the impact of ZEB1 and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 1 (MBD1) on aerobic glycolysis was measured using seahorse cellular flux analyzers, reactive oxygen species quantification, and mitochondrial membrane potential measurement. The interaction between ZEB1 and MBD1 was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assays.

Tumor-Infiltrating NETs Predict Postsurgical Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Tumor-infiltrating neutrophils (TINs) indicate poor prognosis for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Activated neutrophils can generate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Little is known about the presence and prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating NETs in PDAC.

The Significance of Liquid Biopsy in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal types of cancer. The 5-year survival rate for PDAC remains low because it is always diagnosed at an advanced stage and it is resistant to therapy. A biomarker, which could detect asymptomatic premalignant or early malignant tumors and predict the response to treatment, will benefit patients with PDAC.

Tumor-Infiltrating Platelets Predict Postsurgical Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Platelets are believed to promote tumor growth and metastasis in several tumor types. The prognostic role of blood platelets in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains controversial, and the prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating platelets (TIPs) remains unknown.

Methods: A total of 303 patients who underwent curative pancreatectomy for PDAC were enrolled from two independent centers in China and divided into three cohorts.

Angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer: current research status and clinical implications.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. Although the standard of care in pancreatic cancer has improved, prognoses for patients remain poor with a 5-year survival rate of < 5%. Angiogenesis, namely, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is an important event in tumor growth and hematogenous metastasis.

Postoperative serum CA19-9, CEA and CA125 predicts the response to adjuvant chemoradiotherapy following radical resection in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Objective: To evaluate the prediction of benefits from adjuvant chemoradiotherapy by postoperative serum CA19-9, CA125 and CEA.

Methods: The relations between benefits from adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and levels of postoperative serum CA19-9, CA125 and CEA were investigated in 804 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients who received radical resection.

Results: Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was an independent factor for late recurrence [12.

Neoadjuvant Therapy is Essential for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer.

Background: Awareness of the benefits of neoadjuvant therapy is increasing, but its use as an initial therapeutic option for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer remains controversial, especially for those patients without high-risk prognostic features. Even for patients with high-risk features who are candidates to receive neoadjuvant therapy, no standard regimen exists.

Methods: In this review, we examined available data on the neoadjuvant therapy in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, including prospective studies, retrospective studies, and ongoing clinical trials, by searching PubMed/MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.

The clinicopathological and prognostic significance of PD-L1 expression in pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis.

Background: Immunotherapy has shown promise against solid tumors. However, the clinical significance of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to analyze the prognostic effect of PD-L1 in PDAC.

A novel scoring system predicts postsurgical survival and adjuvant chemotherapeutic benefits in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Implications for AJCC-TNM staging.

Background: We evaluated the application of the latest 8 American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system in Chinese patients and determined whether the addition of biologic markers could improve the prediction of postsurgical survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC).

Methods: This multicenter study involved 1,223 consecutive patients who underwent margin-negative pancreatectomy for PC. A scoring system was devised based on AJCC pathologic parameters and biologic markers and defined using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RIPK4/PEBP1 axis promotes pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion by activating RAF1/MEK/ERK signaling.

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease with a high metastatic potential. In our previous study, we identified a specific subgroup of patients with pancreatic cancer with a serum signature of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)+/cancer antigen (CA)125+/CA19-9 ≥1,000 U/ml. In this study, by using high-throughput screening analysis, we found that receptor-interacting protein kinases 4 (RIPK4) may be a key molecule involved in the high metastatic potential of this subgroup of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Strategies for pancreatic anastomosis after pancreaticoduodenectomy: What really matters?

Background: The postoperative pancreatic fistula rate remains approximately 10-20% even in institutions treating a high-volume of pancreatic cases. The best strategy to restore the continuity between the pancreatic remnant and the digestive tract is still in debate.

Data Sources: Studies were identified by searching PubMed for studies published between January 1934 (when pancreaticogastrostomy was technically feasible) and December 2016.

Intrinsic Contact Between T and N Classifications in Resected Well-Moderately Differentiated Locoregional Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Background: The role of N classification is controversial in several prognostication systems proposed for pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs). The widely accepted modified European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (mENETS) system suggests this contradiction may be related to T classification.

Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from 981 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (1973-2012; cohort 1) and 140 patients from the Pancreatic Cancer Institute of Fudan University (2006-2016; cohort 2).

Postoperative serum CEA and CA125 levels are supplementary to perioperative CA19-9 levels in predicting operative outcomes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Carbohydrate antigen (CA19-9) is a well-established marker to monitor disease status after resection of pancreatic cancer. However, few serum markers have been reported to improve the prognostic ability of postoperative CA19-9, especially in patients with normal postoperative CA19-9.

Methods: A total of 353 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated by radical resection were reviewed retrospectively, and a prospective cohort including 142 patients with resectable pancreatic head carcinoma was analyzed as a validation cohort.

Mutant p53 determines pancreatic cancer poor prognosis to pancreatectomy through upregulation of cavin-1 in patients with preoperative serum CA19-9 ≥ 1,000 U/mL.

Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and preoperative CA19-9 ≥ 1,000 U/mL that does not decrease postresection have the worst prognosis, but the mechanism is unclear. Here, we elucidated the relationship between this signature and driver-gene mutations, and the cavins/caveolin-1 axis. Four major driver-genes (KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A/p16, and SMAD4/DPC4) that are associated with PDAC and five critical molecules (cavin-1/-2/-3/-4 and caveolin-1) in the cavins/caveolin-1 axis were screened by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissue microarrays.

Serum CA125 is a novel predictive marker for pancreatic cancer metastasis and correlates with the metastasis-associated burden.

This study evaluated potential of serum tumor markers to predict the incidence and intensity of pancreatic cancer metastasis as well as patient survival. Retrospective records from 905 patients and prospective data from 142 patients were collected from two high-volume institutions. The levels of eight serum tumor markers (CA19-9, CEA, CA242, CA72-4, CA50, CA125, CA153, and AFP) commonly used in gastroenterological cancer were analyzed in all stages of pancreatic cancer.

MicroRNA-33a-mediated downregulation of Pim-3 kinase expression renders human pancreatic cancer cells sensitivity to gemcitabine.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers, with less than 5% of patients surviving 5 years beyond diagnosis. Systemic therapies, particularly gemcitabine, have a modest clinical benefit, but chemoresistance limits their efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that plasma miR-33a levels positively correlated with miR-33a levels in tumor tissues of patients with PDAC and are a good prognostic indicator of overall survival.

Urinary prostaglandin E2 metabolite and pancreatic cancer risk: case-control study in urban Shanghai.

Pancreatic cancer has been increasing in importance in Shanghai over the last four decades. The etiology of the disease is still unclear. Evidence suggests that the COX-2 pathway, an important component of inflammation, may be involved in the disease.

Effect of the number of positive lymph nodes and lymph node ratio on prognosis of patients after resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Background: The prognostic factors related to lymph node involvement [lymph node status, the number of positive lymph nodes, lymph node ratio (LNR)] and the number of nodes evaluated in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma after pancreatectomy are poorly defined.

Methods: A total of 167 patients who had undergone resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma from February 2010 to August 2011 were included in this study. Histological examination was performed to evaluate the tumor differentiation and lymph node involvement.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer: Is it a clinically significant factor?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive solid malignancies. This aggressiveness is partly attributable to extensive local tumor invasion and early systemic dissemination as well as resistance to chemotherapy. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays fundamental roles in embryonic development and in the differentiation of normal tissues and organs.