Serum Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 in Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract EN

Background/Aims.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has etiological association with chronic inflammation.

Elevated circulating levels of inflammatory mediators, such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), are found in obese individuals.

We hypothesized that serum MCP-1 levels are elevated in obese PDA patients.

Methods.

ELISA was used to analyze MCP-1 serum levels in PDA (n=62) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) (n=27).

Recursive partitioning statistical analysis investigated the relationship between log MCP-1 and clinicopathological parameters.

Results.

Log MCP-1 values were significantly (P<0.05) elevated in patients with BMI ≥ 37.5.

In patients with BMI < 37.5, average log MCP-1 values were significantly elevated in PDA patients when compared to IPMN patients.

Within the IPMN group, higher log MCP-1 levels correlated with increased age.

Recursive partitioning analysis of IPMN versus PDA revealed a strategy of predicting characteristics of patients who are more likely to have cancer.

This strategy utilizes log MCP-1 as the primary factor and also utilizes smoking status, gender, and age.

Conclusion.

MCP-1 is a promising biomarker in pancreatic cancer.

The potential of using MCP-1 to distinguish PDA from IPMN patients must be studied in larger populations to validate and demonstrate its eventual clinical utility.