Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39478658›Full record

ArticleMolecular oncology2025

Minimally invasive determination of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) subtype by means of circulating cell-free RNA.

Martin Metzenmacher, Gregor Zaun, Marija Trajkovic-Arsic, Phyllis Cheung, Timm M Reissig, Hendrik Schürmann, Nils von Neuhoff, Grainne O'Kane, Stephanie Ramotar, Anna Dodd and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular oncology, 2025. 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
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

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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

18 authors.

Martin MetzenmacherDepartment of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, Germany.
Gregor ZaunDepartment of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3813-6961
Marija Trajkovic-ArsicGerman Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Düsseldorf, a partnership between German Cabcer Research Center (DKFZ) and University Hospital Essen, Germany.
Phyllis CheungGerman Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Düsseldorf, a partnership between German Cabcer Research Center (DKFZ) and University Hospital Essen, Germany.
Timm M ReissigDepartment of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-5991
Hendrik SchürmannDepartment of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, Germany.
Nils von NeuhoffDepartment of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department for Pediatrics III, University Hospital of Essen, Germany.
Grainne O'KanePanCuRx Translational Research Initiative, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
Stephanie RamotarPanCuRx Translational Research Initiative, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
Anna DoddPanCuRx Translational Research Initiative, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
Steven GallingerPanCuRx Translational Research Initiative, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
Alexander MuckenhuberInstitute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
Jennifer J KnoxPanCuRx Translational Research Initiative, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
Volker KunzmannDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken Würzburg, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany.
Peter A HornInstitute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital of Essen, Germany.
Jörg D HoheiselDivision of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Jens T SivekeGerman Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Düsseldorf, a partnership between German Cabcer Research Center (DKFZ) and University Hospital Essen, Germany.
Smiths S LueongGerman Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Düsseldorf, a partnership between German Cabcer Research Center (DKFZ) and University Hospital Essen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2776-6706

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft RO 3577/7-1 (KFO 337)Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft SI 1549/3-1Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) comprises two clinically relevant molecular subtypes that are currently determined using tissue biopsies, which are spatially biased and highly invasive. We used whole transcriptome sequencing of 10 plasma samples with tumor-informed subtypes, complemented by proteomic analysis for minimally invasive identification of PDAC subtype markers. Data were validated in independent large cohorts and correlated with treatment response and patient outcome. Differential transcript abundance analyses revealed 32 subtype-specific, protein-coding cell-free RNA (cfRNA) transcripts. The subtype specificity of these transcripts was validated in two independent tissue cohorts comprising 195 and 250 cases, respectively. Three disease-relevant cfRNA-defined subtype markers (DEGS1, KDELC1, and RPL23AP7) that consistently associated with basal-like tumors across all cohorts were identified. In both tumor and liquid biopsies, the overexpression of these markers correlated with poor survival. Moreover, elevated levels of the identified markers were linked to a poor response to systemic therapy and early relapse in resected patients. Our data indicate clinical applicability of cfRNA markers in determining tumor subtypes and monitoring disease recurrence.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Pancreatic DuctalCell-Free Nucleic AcidsPancreatic NeoplasmsAgedBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMiddle AgedBiomarkers, TumorCell-Free Nucleic AcidscfRNAliquid biopsyPDACsubtypetherapy

Identifiers

PMID39478658
PMCPMC11792997

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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.