Background WNT5A/ROR2 signaling pathway has been shown to be involved in many human cancers. Its role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has not been clarified yet. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of WNT5A-expression in conjunction with the ROR2-expression in the same tumor tissues of PDAC patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the expression of WNT5A and ROR2 in 117 paraffin-embedded PDAC specimens following surgical pancreatic resection by immunohistochemistry. The prognostic value of WNT5A and ROR2 was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate COX regression-models. Results High ROR2-expression was detected in 65.8% (77/117) of PDAC-tumors, in 28.2% (33/117) in tumor-stroma, and in 71.1% (65/90) of normal pancreatic tissue. High WNT5A-expression was found in 76.9% (90/117) of tumors, in 59.0% (69/117) of tumor-stroma, and in 83.0% (73/88) of normal pancreatic tissue. Spearman's correlation co-efficiency demonstrated weak association between ROR2- and WNT5A-expression in tumor (r = 0.184; p = 0.047), and no association in stroma (r = 0.036; p = 0.699). Multivariate analysis showed that regional lymph node invasion and differentiation were independent prognostic factors of survival, while ROR2- and WNT5A-expression not. Conclusions Variable expression patterns for ROR2 and WNT5A were demonstrated in PDAC and normal pancreatic tissues suggesting a role for WNT5A/ROR2 signalling pathway, not only in PDAC but also in the normal pancreatic tissue during inflammation. The lack of prognostic significance for ROR2- and WNT5A-expression in our cohort, either alone or in subgroup analysis, signifies the complexity of their role in PDAC, which is highly dependent on the different molecular receptor-ligand tissue contexts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.