Overexpression of YKL-40 Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients Undergoing Curative Resection of Pancreatic Cancer.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of YKL-40 expression in patients undergoing curative resection of pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

This cohort study included 234 consecutive patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent curative resection. Surgical specimens were immunohistochemically assessed for YKL-40 expression. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to evaluate the prognostic impact of YKL-40 expression. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to examine the correlation between YKL-40 expression and tumor stage.

RESULTS

Of the 234 patients, YKL-40 overexpression was detected in 149 (63.7%) patients. Survival curves showed that patients with YKL-40 overexpression had significantly shorter survival time than those with low YKL-40 expression (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis indicated that YKL-40 expression was an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.38-6.13) and progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 3.73; 95% CI, 2.33-5.99). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that YKL-40 overexpression was an independent predictor for advanced tumor stage (odds ratio 4.15; 95% CI, 1.35-12.71).

CONCLUSIONS

YKL-40 overexpression predicts poor prognosis and advanced tumor stage in patients undergoing curative resection of pancreatic cancer. Application of adjuvant treatment targeting the YKL-40 pathway may improve prognosis.