C-kit Mrna Expression in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma and Matched Stromal Tissue: Prognostic and Therapeutic Implications.

e15185 Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies with poor overall survival rates. C-Kit is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase known to affect various characteristics of certain in various solid cancers. This study investigated the prognostic significance of tumorous c-Kit mRNA expression in pancreatic carcinoma. Methods: FFPE tumor specimens from 58 patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, who underwent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine, were evaluated. In 25 cases, tumor and stromal tissue had a sufficient quality and quantity for microdissection and mRNA analysis. Specifically designed primers and probes were used to detect mRNA expression levels of c-Kit by quantitative RT-PCR in reference to beta-actin. Results: C-Kit expression was detected in 23 matched pancreatic stromal and tumor tissues. No significantly different c-Kit mRNA expression between stromal (median 1.69, range: 0.55- 6.42) and tumor (median 1.67, range: 0.31- 3.84) tissu...