Utility of serum N-glycan analysis in diagnosis of invasive IPMNs

Abstract

Glycosylation, -a common post-translational modification of proteins,- is involved in several processes associated with cancer progression, including signaling, cell-cell adhesion, invasion and metastasis. We previously found that levels of multi-branch antennary and fucosylated glycans were elevated in pancreatic cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. Another potentially malignant disorder of the pancreas, invasive pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), is hard to diagnose pre-operatively. A new serum biomarker for invasive IPMNs would help to diagnosis and identify cases needing high-risk pancreatic resection. In our recent study, we evaluated the potential use of glycans as clinical markers for invasive IPMNs. N-glycan profiles of whole-serum samples were evaluated from patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IPMNs. The serum profiles showed high expression levels of fucosylated glycans with multi-branch antennary structures, suggesting that these complex glycans may serve as biomarkers for the prediction of invasive IPMNs.