Reduced expression of desmocollin 2 is an independent prognostic biomarker for shorter patients survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Cell--cell adhesion molecules such as desmosomes and cytokeratins may play a major role in epithelial--mesenchymal transition and have been suggested to have a relevant impact on tumour progression. This study investigated 15 biomarkers in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and correlated the results with clinicopathological parameters. Tissue microarrays of 115 R0-resected PDAC were constructed to evaluate the protein expression of 15 in genome-wide expression profiling differentially expressed biomarkers. At the protein level a high expression of desmocollin 2 (DSC2) was observed in 90.4%, DSC1 (67.6%), DSC3 (0.9%), MDM2 (16.2%), CEA (64.8%), CK7 (85.2%), CK8 (96.5%), CK18 (96.5%), CK19 (93.9%), CK20 (11.5%), CA19-9 (86.6%), TLE1 (8.7%), PITX1 (91.2%), factor H (95.7%) and mesothelin (9.6%). Reduced expression of DSC2 was statistically correlated with shorter patient survival, higher tumour grading and positive lymph node status (p=0.008, p=0.029, p=0.011, respectively). In multivariable analysis reduced expression of DSC2, higher tumour grading and positive lymph node status were independently correlated with shorter patient survival. Reduced expression of DSC2 is independently correlated with shorter patient survival, higher tumour grading and positive lymph node status in PDAC and could serve as a prognostic marker.