Expression Patterns of Stem Cell Marker Doublecortin and CaM Kinase-Like-1 (DCAMKL-1) in Human Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma has the worst prognosis of any major malignancy with a 3% 5 year survival. Major obstacles in treating pancreatic cancer include extensive local invasion and early metastasis. The incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) has been increasing steadily. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a key role in cancer invasion and metastasis. Recently, a direct link between EMT and the gain of epithelial stem cell properties has been described. We have recently determined that DCAMKL-1, a microtubule-associated kinase expressed in post mitotic neurons, is a putative intestinal stem cell marker. We have also demonstrated that DCAMKL-1, a protein expressed in both normal stem cells and in cancer, likely promotes tumorigenesis through the regulation of pri-let-7a microRNA and c-Myc. We have recently demonstrated evidence that DCAMKL-1 is a marker for pancreatic cancer stem cells in surgical specimens. This study will investigate expression of DCAMKL-1 in pancreatic tissue obtained through EUS-FNA. Furthermore expression of DCAMKL-1 will also be investigated in serum obtained simultaneously.