Original Articles
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2000. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 15, 2000; 6(6): 866-871
Published online Dec 15, 2000. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v6.i6.866
KAI1 gene is differently expressed in papillary and pancreatic cancer: Influence on metastasis
Xiao Zhong Guo, Helmut Friess, Xiao Dong Shao, Min Pei Liu, Yu Ting Xia, Jian Hua Xu, Markus W. Buchler
Xiao Zhong Guo, Xiao Dong Shao, Min Pei Liu, Yu Ting Xia, Jian Hua Xu, Department of Gastroenterology, Shenyang General Hospital, Shenyang 110015, Liaoning Province, China
Helmut Friess, Markus W. Buchler, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University of Bern, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland
Xiao Zhong Guo, Professor, majoring in basic and clinical research on pancreatic cancer, having 60 papers published in Cancer Res, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Int J Cancer, Dig Dis Sci, etc.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Xiao Zhong Guo, M.D., Department of Gastroenterology, Shenyang General Hospital, Shenyang 110015, Liaoning Province, China. Email: GuoXZSW@pub.sy.ln.cn
Telephone: 0086-24-23056230
Received: June 6, 2000
Revised: June 19, 2000
Accepted: June 29, 2000
Published online: December 15, 2000
Abstract

AIM: To compare KAI1 in cancer of papilla of Vater and pancreas to evaluate whether there are differences in biologic behavior which might account for prognosis.

METHODS: We compared the expression in 24 papillay and 29 pancreatic cancers using Northern blot analysis, immunochemical assay and in situ hybridization, and investigated whether early diagnosis or molecular differences predict the outcome in these tumor entities.

RESULTS: By Northern blot analysis there is no statistical difference of KAI1 levels in normal and cancerous papilla. No association between KAI1 mRNA expression and tumor stage or tumor differentiation was found in the tumors. By immunohistochemical assay, KAI1 staining in cytoplasm of papillary cancer cells was similar to that of normal papillary cells. By in situ hybridization, the results of KAI1 mRNA expression in normal and cancerous papilla were similar to those with immunohistochemical assay. The normal and cancerous pancreas tissues were also analyzed by the methods used in papillary samples.

CONCLUSION: Although the biologic roles of KAI1 have not been clarified, our results suggest that KAI1 may restrict the progression of malignant papillary cancer, but its expression might not have any effect on the characteristics of papillary tumor, whereas by the analysis of KAI1 gene, its reduced expression is closely related to the progression and metastases of pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: pancreatic neoplasms; papillary neoplasms; KAI1 gene; immunohistochemistry; in situ hybridization; blotting, northern