beta-Catenin is Independently Associated With Outcome in Pancreatic Cancer: An Analysis of NRG Oncology/RTOG 9704

In this high-quality database from a prospective phase III clinical trial, cytoplasmic β-catenin and cytoplasmic active β-catenin are statistically significantly associated with OS and DFS and with OS, respectively, independent of other known prognostic factors. In agreement with one previous publication, high levels of cytoplasmic β-catenin, which is transcriptionally silent, were associated with a reduced risk of death. The significant magnitude of these effects makes them clinically relevant, warranting further investigation. This project was supported by grants U10CA180868 (NRG Oncology Operations), U10CA180822 (NRG Oncology SDMC), UG1CA189867 (NCORP), U24CA196067 (NRG Specimen Bank) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).