TY - JOUR A2 - Funel, Niccola AU - Ammendola, Michele AU - Sacco, Rosario AU - Sammarco, Giuseppe AU - Donato, Giuseppe AU - ZuccalĂ , Valeria AU - Luposella, Maria AU - Patruno, Rosa AU - Marech, Ilaria AU - Montemurro, Severino AU - Zizzo, Nicola AU - Gadaleta, Cosmo Damiano AU - Ranieri, Girolamo PY - 2014 DA - 2014/06/04 TI - Mast Cells Density Positive to Tryptase Correlates with Angiogenesis in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Patients Having Undergone Surgery SP - 951957 VL - 2014 AB - Background. Literature data suggest that cells such as mast cells (MCs), are involved in angiogenesis. MCs can stimulate angiogenesis by releasing of several proangiogenic cytokines stored in their cytoplasm. In particular MCs can release tryptase, a potent in vivo and in vitro proangiogenic factor. Nevertheless few data are available concerning the role of MCs positive to tryptase in primary pancreatic cancer angiogenesis. This study analyzed MCs and angiogenesis in primary tumour tissue from patients affected by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Method. A series of 31 PDAC patients with stage T2-3N0-1M0 (by AJCC for Pancreas Cancer Staging 7th Edition) was selected and then underwent surgery. Tumour tissue samples were evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry and image analysis methods in terms of number of MCs positive to tryptase (MCDPT), area occupied by MCs positive to tryptase (MCAPT), microvascular density (MVD), and endothelial area (EA). The above parameters were related to each other and to the main clinicopathological features. Results. A significant correlation between MCDPT, MCAPT, MVD, and EA group was found by Pearson’s t-test analysis (r ranged from 0.69 to 0.81; P value ranged from 0.001 to 0.003). No other significant correlation was found. Conclusion. Our pilot data suggest that MCs positive to tryptase may play a role in PDAC angiogenesis and they could be further evaluated as a novel tumour biomarker and as a target of antiangiogenic therapy. SN - 1687-6121 UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/951957 DO - 10.1155/2014/951957 JF - Gastroenterology Research and Practice PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation KW - ER -