Mesothelin is Commonly Expressed in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma but Unrelated to Cancer Aggressiveness

Abstract

Data on Mesothelin (MSLN) expression in human normal and cancerous tissues is controversial. We employed immunohistochemistry (IHC) on a tissue microarray (TMA) from 599 pancreatic cancers and 12 large tissue sections of pancreatitis. MSLN expression was highest in pancreatic adenocarcinomas (89%) and adenocarcinomas of the ampulla Vateri (79%), infrequent in pancreatitis and absent in 6 acinus cell carcinomas and normal pancreas. MSLN expression was unrelated to pathological tumor stage, grade, metastasis, and tumor-infiltrating CD8+ lymphocytes. In conclusion, pancreatic cancer may be ideally suited for putative anti- MSLN therapies, and MSLN may represent a suitable biomarker for pancreatic cancer diagnosis, especially on small biopsies.

Keywords:

• Cancer biomarkers
• pancreatic cancer
• immunohistochemistry

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Melanie Witt, Inge Brandt, Maren Eisenberg, and Sünje Seekamp for excellent technical assistance.

Author contributions

SW, RS, KJ: contributed to conception, design, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript writing. FJ, AH, CF, KM, AHM, CB, TSC, EB, TK, SS: participated in pathology data analysis and data interpretation, DP, JRI, MN, HM, TD, UN collection of samples and data interpretation. SW, KJ: immunohistochemistry analysis. SW, RS, KJ: study supervision. All authors agree to be accountable for the content of the work.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no competing interests.