Relations between pancreatic cancer and adipose tissue under cachexia

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K16043
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 53010:Gastroenterology-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Sato Katsuhiko 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 特任助教(常勤) (40838843)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 膵癌 / 悪液質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Perigonadal fat weight decreased in mice with orthotopic tumors compared to those without tumors. By RNA sequencing and real-time PCR validation, pentraxin 3 (PTX3) was identified as a secreted protein-encoded gene whose expression was significantly higher in the perigonadal fat of mice with orthotopic tumors than in that of mice without orthotopic tumors. Serum PTX3 levels correlated with body weight change and were higher in mice with orthotopic tumors than in those without tumors. In 84 patients diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer, patients with high serum PTX3 levels showed a greater visceral fat loss/month and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) decrease/month than those with low serum PTX3 levels. High serum PTX3 was an independent risk factor for visceral fat loss, decreased SMI, and poor prognosis.

Free Research Field

膵癌

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

悪液質は膵癌を含む多くの癌腫で予後不良因子であることが知られている。膵癌同所移植モデルマウスで担癌状態となることで内臓脂肪が減少することを確認し、内臓脂肪から分泌される悪液質マーカーをRNA sequenceで検討した。同定された血清マーカーPTX3は、遠隔転移を伴う膵癌患者において、炎症と関連する予後因子であり、内臓脂肪、筋肉量減少のマーカーであった。PTX3は膵癌患者の悪液質進行のマーカーとして期待される。