Background/aims: Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) has an angiogenic activity, but the prognostic value of TP has not been fully validated for pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate TP expression according to clinicopathological parameters to define its prognostic value for pancreatic cancer.
Methodology: Forty-three patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were examined retrospectively. TP expression and intratumoral microvessel density (IMD) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. TP expression was analyzed according to clinicopathological parameters.
Results: Twenty-eight (65%) of 42 cases showed diffuse cytoplasmic and nucleic TP staining. IMD was significantly higher in TP-positive tumors than in TP-negative tumors (27.7 +/- 8.9 vs. 18.1 +/- 4.4, p < 0.01). TP levels were significantly higher in T3 and T4 tumors than in T1 and T2 tumors (56% vs. 9.3%, respectively, p < 0.05). Patients with TP-positive tumors more frequently developed hepatic recurrence than those with TP-negative tumors after resection (p < 0.01). Patients with TP-positive tumors had a shorter survival than patients with TP-negative tumors (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: TP expression can be used as a predictor of hepatic recurrence and as an unfavorable prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer.