Tumour stem cell markers CD133 and CD44 are useful prognostic factors after surgical resection of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression profiles and prognostic values of CD133 and CD44 in a cohort of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs). PNET data from patients who underwent radical resection at the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analysed. Immunohistochemistry was performed on PNET samples, and CD133 and CD44 expression was examined. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. A total of 71 cases were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 45.2 years, and the mean tumour size was 3.3 cm. CD44 expression was positively associated with poor tumour differentiation (P=0.007), high Ki-67 index (P=0.001), added mitotic count (P=0.003), high histological grade (P=0.001) and advanced stage (P=0.025). Similarly, CD133 expression was positively associated with high Ki-67 index (P=0.014) and added mitotic count (P=0.012). However, CD133 expression was not associated with tumour differentiation (P=0.118), histological grade (P=0.126) and stage (P=0.203). Survival analysis revealed that both CD44 and CD133 were prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and/or disease-free survival (DFS), and that increased co-expression of CD44 and CD133 indicated poor OS and DFS rates in patients with PNET. In patients with no expression or low expression of either CD44 or CD133, a DFS rate of 100% was observed, indicating a low recurrence risk. The present findings suggested that high CD44 and CD133 expression was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with PNET. CD44 and CD133 may be used as prognostic indicators of OS and/or DFS in patients with PNETs.