Bcl-2 associated anthanogen-1 (Bag-1) expression and prognostic value in pancreatic head and periampullary cancer

• Published in: European journal of cancer (1990) Vol. 49; no. 2; pp. 323 - 328
• Main Authors: van der Zee, Jill A, ten Hagen, Timo L.M, Hop, Wim C.J, van Dekken, Herman, Dicheva, Bilyana M, Seynhaeve, Ann L.B, Koning, Gerben A, Eggermont, Alexander M.M, van Eijck, Casper H.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ampulla of Vater - metabolism; Ampulla of Vater - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; DNA-Binding Proteins - biosynthesis; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; Female; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pancreatic head cancer; Pancreatic Neoplasms - genetics; Pancreatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Paraffin Embedding; Periampullary cancer; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prognosis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rap46; Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Transcription Factors - genetics; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Immunohistochemistry; Periampullary cancer; Rap46; Prognosis; Pancreatic head cancer; Bag; Pancreatic head; Malignant tumor; Anatomic pathology; BCL1 gene; Cancerology; C-Onc gene; Pancreas cancer; Digestive diseases; Periampullary; Protooncogene; Cancer; Pancreatic disease
• ISSN: 0959-8049; 1879-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2012.07.030

Abstract The expression of anti-apoptosis gene Bcl-2 associated anthanogen-1 (Bag-1), has been associated with outcome in several cancer types, however its prognostic role in pancreatic cancer is unknown. Aim was therefore to evaluate expression of Bag-1 in two anatomically closely related however prognostically different tumours, pancreatic head- and periampullary cancer and correlate expression with outcome. Bag-1 protein expression was studied by immunohistochemistry on original paraffin embedded tissue from 217 patients with microscopic radical resection (R0) of adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head or periampullary region. Expression was assessed for associations with recurrence free- (RFS), cancer specific- (CSS), overall survival (OS) and conventional prognostic factors. Nuclear Bag-1 was present in 80% of tumours. In 40% Bag-1 resided in the cytosol, which was almost exclusively associated with nuclear expression. Nuclear Bag-1 protein was identified as an independent factor predicting a favourable outcome following radical resection of pancreatic head cancer. Eighteen percent of patients with nuclear Bag-1 were recurrence free and alive 5 years following surgery compared to none of the patients lacking expression. In periampullary cancer Bag-1 was not associated with outcome. In conclusion, Bag-1 was present in the majority of both pancreatic head- and periampullary cancers. However it was only identified as a discriminator of outcome in pancreatic head cancer.