T. Ohta et al., EXPRESSION OF BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR AND ITS RECEPTOR IN HUMAN PANCREATIC CARCINOMAS, British Journal of Cancer, 72(4), 1995, pp. 824-831
We examined the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and
FGF receptor by immunohistochemistry in 32 human pancreatic ductal ad
enocarcinomas. Mild to marked basic FGF immunoreactivity was noted in
19 (59.4%) of the 32 tumours examined, and 30 (93.3%) of the tumours e
xhibited a cytoplasmic staining pattern against FGF receptor. The rumo
urs were divided into two groups according to the proportion of positi
vely stained tumour cells: a low expression group (positive cells <25%
) and a high expression group (positive cells greater than or equal to
25%). No statistically significant difference in tumour size, differe
ntiation, metastases or stage was found between the low and high basic
FGF expression groups. However, a significant correlation was found b
etween FGF receptor expression level and the presence of retroperitone
al invasion, lymph node metastasis, and tumour stage. In addition, low
FGF receptor expression was significantly associated with a longer po
st-operative survival as compared with high FGF receptor expression, w
hereas there was no significant difference in post-operative survival
between the low and high basic FGF expression groups. Increased expres
sion of FGF receptor is correlated with the extent of malignancy and p
ost-operative survival in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. Thu
s, overexpression of FGF receptor may prove to be a more useful progno
stic marker than basic FGF expression level in pancreatic cancer patie
nts.