QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS OF COLLAGEN AND COLLAGEN SUBTYPE-I, SUBTYPE-III, AND SUBTYPE-V IN HUMAN PANCREATIC-CANCER, TUMOR-ASSOCIATED CHRONIC-PANCREATITIS, AND ALCOHOLIC CHRONIC-PANCREATITIS

The collagen content in human pancreatic cancer tissue, tissue of tumo r-associated chronic pancreatitis (TACP), and normal pancreatic tissue was determined in 14 patients with pancreatic cancer by measuring the amount of 4-hydroxyproline. Four patients with alcoholic chronic panc reatitis (AlCP) were also analyzed. The mean collagen content in both pancreatic cancer tissue and TACP tissue was approximately threefold h igher than in normal pancreatic tissue, Cyanogen bromide peptides of t ype I, III, and V collagens from invasive ductal carcinomatous tissue of the pancreas and from TACP tissue of eight patients were analyzed s equentially using high-performance liquid chromatography with ion-exch ange and gel-permeation columns. No difference in the proportion of ty pe I, III, and V collagens was detected between pancreatic cancer tiss ue and TACP tissue. The mean collagen content in AlCP tissue was signi ficantly lower than that in TACP tissue, but no difference in the prop ortion of type I, III, and V collagens was detected between these two tissues. These results indicate a similar quantity and distribution pa ttern of fibrillar collagen in human pancreatic cancer and TACP.