Pancreatic cancer biomarkers
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Find the right cancer biomarker for your research using our IHC guide to pancreatic cancer.
Download the complete Cancer biomarkers guide here.
Updated July 13, 2023
Pancreatic cancer is the 7th leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a higher death toll in developed countries. The most common subtype of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, accounting for approximately 85% of all cases. Globally, the mortality rate coincides with the incidence rate, emphasizing the poor prognosis for this cancer type1. Immunohistochemistry offers a useful assay in the identification and classification of pancreatic neoplasms.
The diagnostic accuracy for this cancer type has been significantly improved by the continuous discovery and validation of new tumor-associated biomarkers and the development of effective immunohistochemical panels. The application of appropriate IHC panels allows pathologists to differentiate between the different types of pancreatic cancer and to distinguish pancreatic carcinomas from other secondary metastatic cancers2.
Overview
Emerging pancreatic cancer biomarkers
| TFF3 | Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) |
| TFF1 has been used for the detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in urine samples3. | PTX3 is a stromal compartment-specific pancreatic cancer biomarker that is suitable for validation studies4. |
| View antibodies to TFF3 | View antibodies to PTX3 |
Established pancreatic cancer biomarkers
Insulin-like growth factor 2 binding protein 3 (IMP3)
IMP3, a cell-surface glycoprotein, is not expressed in the normal pancreatic ductal epithelium and so may serve as a sensitive and specific biomarker to discriminate between benign and malignant pancreatic epithelium5. This biomarker may play a role in the migration, invasion and adhesion of pancreatic cell cancer. Identification of IMP3 by IHC is associated with poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma6.
Figure: Immunohistochemistry (Formalin/PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded sections) analysis of human lung cancer tissue sections labeling IMP3 with purified ab179807 at 1/1000 dilution (0.10 µg/mL).
IHC stain: Nuclear and cytoplasmic
Recommended IHC antibody: Recombinant Anti-IMP3 anitbody [ERP12021-114] (ab179807)
View antibodies to IMP3
S100 Calcium Binding Protein P (S100P)
S100P is a sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer. It has a potential role in the proliferation, survival, motility and invasiveness of pancreatic cells. Levels of S100P expression increase during the progression from pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive adenocarcinoma. This biomarker can be used to differentiate between positive pancreatic adenocarcinoma and negative pancreatic endocrine tumors7.