Affiliations: [a]
Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| [b]
Department of General and Bariatric Surgery and Emergency Medicine in Zabrze, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland
| [c]
Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland
| [d] Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Student Scientific Society, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Maciej Wiewiora, ul. Sklodowskiej-Curie 9, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland. Tel.: +48 32 3732381; E-mail: m-wiewiora@tlen.pl.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with a low 5-year survival rate. Biomarkers may be of value for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. This study assessed blood- and tumour tissue-based biomarkers associated with pancreatic cancer. METHODS:We studied 61 patients who underwent pancreatic resection. Of these 61 patients, 46 patients had PDAC, and 15 patients had inflammatory tumours. Blood and tumour tissue levels of VEGF, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) were measured. RESULTS:Blood concentrations of VEGF (p < 0.000001) and HIF-1α (p = 0.000002) were significantly higher in the PDAC group than in the inflammatory tumour group. Tumour tissue concentrations of VEGF (p < 0.000001), HIF-1α (p = 0.000005) and GLUT1 (0.000002) were also significantly higher in the PDAC group. Univariate analyses revealed that age, BMI, and blood levels of CA19-9, VEGF, and HIF-1α were potential predictors of PDAC. Potential predictors of PDAC in tumour tissue were VEGF, HIF-1α and GLUT1. Multivariate analyses found that VEGF was the most powerful independent predictor of PDAC in blood (OR = 1.016; 95% CI: 1.007–1.025; 0.001) and tumour tissue (OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.008–1.032, p = 0.001). The cut-off point for blood VEGF was 134.56 pg/ml, with a sensitivity of 97.8%, specificity of 86.7%, PPV of 95.7%, and NPV of 92.9%. The cut-off point for tissue tumour VEGF in PDAC was 208.59 pg/mg, with a sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of 97.7%, 92.9%, 97.7%, and 92.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:There are significant differences in blood-based biomarkers for differentiating between PDAC and inflammatory tumours of the pancreas. VEGF was an independent predictor of PDAC independent of its addition to the routinely used tumour marker CA19-9 antigen.
