FXYD3 Is Frequently Expressed in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma but Does Not Predict Survival.

Background: FXYD3 is a Na/K-ATPase modulator which is upregulated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but its prognostic role is unknown. This study evaluated FXYD3 expression in chemo-naive patients with surgically-resected PDAC at a single centre (1993-2014).

Method: FXYD3 expression was assessed in tumour specimens using immunohistochemistry.

Results: 145 of 180 PDAC tumour specimens were FXYD3-immunopositive (80.5%). There was no difference in median overall survival between the FXYD3 negative (27.60 months) and positive groups (25.00 months) (log-rank p = 0.9718). FXYD3 expression correlated positively with late-stage disease (OR 3.041, 95% CI 1.190-7.455, p = 0.0175). There was no significant association with T stage, positive lymph nodes, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion or histological grade.

Conclusion: Immunohistochemical FXYD3 expression does not predict survival in chemo-naive PDAC patients, but is associated with late-stage disease. The high rate of FXYD3 overexpression warrants therapeutic evaluation.