AIMTocompareKAI1incancerofpapillaofVaterandpancreastoevaluatewhethertherearedifferencesinbiologicbehaviorwhichmightaccountforprognosis.METHODSWecomparedtheexpressionin24papillayand29pancreaticcancersusingNorthernblotanalysis,immunochemicalassayandinsituhybridization,andinvestigatedwhetherearlydiagnosisormoleculardifferencespredicttheoutcomeinthesetumorentities.RESULTSByNorthernblotanalysisthereisnostatisticaldifferenceofKAI1levelsinnormalandcancerouspapilla.NoassociationbetweenKAI1mRNAexpressionandtumorstageortumordifferentiationwasfoundinthetumors.Byimmunohistochemicalassay,KAI1stainingincytoplasmofpapillarycancercellswassimilartothatofnormalpapillarycells.Byinsituhybridization,theresultsofKAI1mRNAexpressioninnormalandcancerouspapillaweresimilartothosewithimmunohistochemicalassay.Thenormalandcancerouspancreastissueswerealsoanalyzedbythemethodsusedinpapillarysamples.CONCLUSIONAlthoughthebiologicrolesofKAI1havenotbeenclarified,ourresultssuggestthatKAI1mayrestricttheprogressionofmalignantpapillarycancer,butitsexpressionmightnothaveanyeffectonthecharacteristicsofpapillarytumor,whereasbytheanalysisofKAl1gene,itsreducedexpressioniscloselyrelatedtotheprogressionandmetastasesofpancreaticcancer.
