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Hyaluronan (HA) and collagen are highly expressed in pancreatic cancer (PC) stroma. HA and collagen accumulation increase tumor interstitial fluid pressure, compromising blood flow and drug penetration. The aim of this biomarker study was to determine the clinical utility of serum HA and the propeptide of type III collagen (PRO‐C3) in patients with PC. A cohort from the Danish BIOPAC study (NCT03311776) including patients with histologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (n = 809), ampullary carcinoma (n = 44), distal biliary tract cancer (n = 31), chronic pancreatitis (n = 15), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (n = 41), duodenal adenoma (n = 7) and no cancer (n = 25). Healthy controls were available for serum HA (n = 141) and PRO‐C3 (n = 8). The main outcome was overall survival (OS) of patients with PC in relation to pretreatment serum HA and PRO‐C3 levels. Patients with PC had higher baseline serum HA and PRO‐C3 than healthy subjects and patients with benign conditions. Pretreatment serum baseline HA and PRO‐C3 in patients with PC were associated with poorer survival and PRO‐C3 remained prognostic also after adjusting for age, performance status, stage, the presence of liver and peritoneum metastasis, and CA19‐9. Detection of HA and PRO‐C3 may be useful in differentiating between malignant and benign pancreatic conditions. Serum HA and PRO‐C3 were prognostic for OS in patients with PC.

Neither ethanol nor red wine polyphenols reduced mature atherosclerosis or changed the content of collagen in plaques in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to validate previously described diagnostic and prognostic microRNA expression profiles in tissue samples from patients with pancreatic cancer and other periampullary cancers.MethodsExpression of 46 selected microRNAs was studied in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (n = 165), ampullary cancer (n=59), duodenal cancer (n = 6), distal common bile duct cancer (n = 21), and gastric cancer (n = 20); chronic pancreatitis (n = 39); and normal pancreas (n = 35). The microRNAs were analyzed by PCR using the Fluidigm platform.ResultsTwenty-two microRNAs were significantly differently expressed in patients with pancreatic cancer when compared to healthy controls and chronic pancreatitis patients; 17 miRNAs were upregulated (miR-21-5p, −23a-3p, −31-5p, −34c-5p, −93-3p, −135b-3p, −155-5p, −186-5p, −196b-5p, −203, −205-5p, −210, −222-3p, −451, −492, −614, and miR-622) and 5 were downregulated (miR-122-5p, −130b-3p, −216b, −217, and miR-375). MicroRNAs were grouped into diagnostic indices of varying complexity. Ten microRNAs associated with prognosis were identified (let-7 g, miR-29a-5p, −34a-5p, −125a-3p, −146a-5p, −187, −205-5p, −212-3p, −222-5p, and miR-450b-5p). Prognostic indices based on differences in expression of 2 different microRNAs were constructed for pancreatic and ampullary cancer combined and separately (30, 5, and 21 indices).ConclusionThe study confirms that pancreatic cancer tissue has a microRNA expression profile that is different from that of other periampullary cancers, chronic pancreatitis, and normal pancreas. We identified prognostic microRNAs and microRNA indices that were associated with shorter overall survival in patients with radically resected pancreatic cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40364-017-0087-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.