Prognostic Significance of Desmoplastic Reaction Classification and Its Association With Stromal Biomarkers in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis, is characterized by a dense desmoplastic stroma. Although preoperative treatments are increasingly utilized, the histological assessment of posttreatment tissues remains challenging because of the overlapping features of the fibrous stroma from both cancer progression and tumor regression. Thus, simple and reliable histological prognostic markers are urgently needed. The desmoplastic reaction (DR) classification, a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer, has been proposed as a potential indicator of PDAC; however, its relationship with cancer-associated fibroblasts remains unclear. This study evaluated the prognostic utility of the DR classification and its association with stromal characteristics in PDAC. In total, 292 PDAC cases treated at the Kyushu University Hospital between 2015 and 2022 were analyzed, including 145 upfront surgery and 147 neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) cases. The immature DR type was identified as a significant independent prognostic factor associated with poor survival outcomes, irrespective of NAC. Cases with immature stroma demonstrated higher early recurrence and PDAC-related mortality rates. The immature stroma at the invasive front exhibited high expression levels of tumor-promoting cancer-associated fibroblast markers, such as fibroblast activation protein and periostin (POSTN). Furthermore, the DR classification correlated with treatment response because low POSTN expression was noted in cases achieving partial response per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria. In this study, the DR classification is an independent prognostic factor for PDAC, irrespective of NAC. Immature stroma, characterized by high fibroblast activation protein and POSTN expression levels, is associated with poor outcomes. POSTN expression at the invasive front may be a potential biomarker for treatment response and chemoresistance.