Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34851463›Full record

ArticleEJNMMI research2021

Native glycan fragments detected by MALDI mass spectrometry imaging are independent prognostic factors in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Na Sun, Marija Trajkovic-Arsic, Fengxia Li, Yin Wu, Corinna Münch, Thomas Kunzke, Annette Feuchtinger, Katja Steiger, Anna Melissa Schlitter, Wilko Weichert and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EJNMMI research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Fingerprinting the Metabolic and Lipidomic Landscapes of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma with MALDI Imaging.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2026
    Article
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  4. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Na Sun *Research Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
Marija Trajkovic-Arsic *Bridge Institute of Experimental Tumor Therapy, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Fengxia Li *Research Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
Yin WuResearch Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
Corinna MünchBridge Institute of Experimental Tumor Therapy, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Thomas KunzkeResearch Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
Annette FeuchtingerResearch Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
Katja SteigerInstitute of Pathology, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Anna Melissa SchlitterInstitute of Pathology, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Wilko WeichertInstitute of Pathology, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Irene EspositoInstitute for Pathology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Jens T SivekeBridge Institute of Experimental Tumor Therapy, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany. jens.siveke@uk-essen.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8772-4778
Axel WalchResearch Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany. axel.walch@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
Helmholtz Zentrum München · DEGerman Cancer Research Center · DEDeutschen Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung · DEComprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken · DEDüsseldorf University Hospital · DE

Funding

German Research Foundation SFB824-C4German Research Foundation SFB/Transregio 205 S01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest malignancies to date. The impressively developed stroma that surrounds and modulates the behavior of cancer cells is one of the main factors regulating the PDAC growth, metastasis and therapy resistance. Here, we postulate that stromal and cancer cell compartments differentiate in protein/lipid glycosylation patterns and analyze differences in glycan fragments in those compartments with clinicopathologic correlates.

resultsWe analyzed native glycan fragments in 109 human FFPE PDAC samples using high mass resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometric imaging (MALDI-FT-ICR-MSI). Our method allows detection of native glycan fragments without previous digestion with PNGase or any other biochemical reaction. With this method, 8 and 18 native glycans were identified as uniquely expressed in only stromal or only cancer cell compartment, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival model identified glycan fragments that are expressed in cancer cell or stromal compartment and significantly associated with patient outcome. Among cancer cell region-specific glycans, 10 predicted better and 6 worse patient survival. In the stroma, 1 glycan predicted good and 4 poor patient survival. Using factor analysis as a dimension reduction method, we were able to group the identified glycans in 2 factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that these factors can be used as independent survival prognostic elements with regard to the established Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) classification both in tumor and stroma regions.

conclusionOur method allows in situ detection of naturally occurring glycans in FFPE samples of human PDAC tissue and highlights the differences among glycans found in stromal and cancer cell compartment offering a basis for further exploration on the role of specific glycans in cancer-stroma communication.

Indexed as

GlycansMALDI-FT-ICR-MSIPDAC

Identifiers

PMID34851463
PMCPMC8636555
OpenAlexW3215772005

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.