The efficacy evaluation of cryosurgery in pancreatic cancer patients with the expression of CD44v6, integrin-β1, CA199, and CEA.

Increased expression of cell adhesion molecule CD44v6, integrin-β1, carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are closely associated with the progression and metastasis of numerous cancers. In this study, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and serum samples were collected from 37 pancreatic cancer patients and 12 healthy people. A novel triplex TaqMan real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay was used to measure the expression levels of CD44v6 and integrin-β1 gene in PBMCs, while chemiluminescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure the levels of CA199 and CEA expression in serum. The results showed that both the levels of CD44v6 and integrin-β1 expression had significant correlation with clinical stage, lymph node, and liver metastasis of pancreatic cancer (P < 0.05). Age, tumor size, tumor differentiation, clinical stage, lymph nodes, and liver metastasis were significantly associated with the levels of CA199 and CEA expression (P < 0.05). The levels of CD44v6, integrin-β1, CA199, and CEA expression in the patients prior cryosurgery and chemotherapy were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was found between the patients 1 month post cryosurgery and control group (P > 0.05). The expression levels of CD44v6, integrin-β1, CA199, and CEA in the patients 1 month post cryosurgery were significantly lower than those in the patients prior cryosurgery (P < 0.05). Interestingly, no significant difference was found for the CD44v6, integrin-β1, CA199, and CEA levels between the patients prior and post-chemotherapy (P > 0.05). The higher expression of CD44v6, integrin-β1, CA199, and CEA are closely related to the progression and metastasis of pancreatic cancer and may play a important role in the curative evaluation of cryosurgery of pancreatic cancer.