Abstract
Aberrant expression of stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) is implicated in cancer development. STC2 acts as a tumor promoter to drive some cancers. However, its contribution to the development of pancreatic cancer remains unclear. This study showed that the expression of STC2 was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues. Moreover, its expression was positively correlated with tumor size and lymph node metastasis and negatively correlated with 5-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients. Additionally, the expression levels of STC2 were a novel biomarker for predicting overall survival rate after surgery. Furthermore, overexpression of STC2 could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cell lines, while knocking down of STC2 led to antiproliferation and antimetastasis activities. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that the expression of STC2 could significantly promote the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic cancer cells. These data indicated that the overexpression of STC2 in pancreatic cancer contributes to the metastasis through the promotion of EMT, suggesting that STC2 is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.
Highlights
Pancreatic carcinoma is a common digestive system cancer and the fourth commonest of cancer-related deaths among both genders in the United States [1]
The drug resistance of chemotherapy is an important limiting factor for the therapy of pancreatic carcinoma, many factors contribute to the poor sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapy, and compensatory pathways have been reported as activated statue in the drug metabolism [2]
The mRNA expression level of stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) in pancreatic tumors was significantly elevated as compared to the surrounding normal tissues (Figure 1(a))
Summary
Pancreatic carcinoma is a common digestive system cancer and the fourth commonest of cancer-related deaths among both genders in the United States [1]. The cancer statistics of 2018 showed that the estimated new cases of pancreatic cancer have been the eighth highest incidence rate among women, and slipped out of the top ten among men, suggesting that the medical therapy for pancreatic carcinoma is inefficient. Due to lack of early diagnosis, the pancreatic cancer patients are inoperable, and chemotherapy is the only treatment option for many patients. Pancreatic cancer shows no significant symptoms in the early stage, and the evident symptoms often occurred in the late stage, resulting in unsatisfactory curative results, so early diagnosis and effective treatment could improve overall survival and disease prognosis. The drug resistance of chemotherapy is an important limiting factor for the therapy of pancreatic carcinoma, many factors contribute to the poor sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapy, and compensatory pathways have been reported as activated statue in the drug metabolism [2]. Novel therapeutic targets need to be urgently developed for the treatment of pancreatic cancer
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